The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced June 25 that it has allocated $22.4 million in grant funding to support restoration efforts in Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the nation. Chesapeake Bay and its watershed include six states, predominantly Maryland.
The grant will be awarded to 13 selected organizations through the Innovative Nutrient & Sediment Reduction grant program, which is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
“These grants reflect our continuing commitment to protect the Chesapeake Bay and preserve our nation’s environmental legacy for future generations,” Martha Shimkin, director of EPA Chesapeake Bay program office, said in a press release.
She said the 13 awardees have been “committed to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.”
Around $12.4 million of the total funding is sourced from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, while the remaining $10 million comes from the EPA’s annual appropriations, according to the agency.
The grant awardees include Chesapeake Conservancy, Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, James River Association, Sustainable Chesapeake, Friends of the Rappahannock, Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District, among others.
The Innovative Nutrient & Sediment Reduction program has allocated more than $200 million to support 250 projects since 2006. These projects have helped to reduce 36 million pounds of nitrogen, nine million pounds of phosphorus, and nearly 800,000 tons of sediment across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said that while there has been “considerable progress” in Chesapeake Bay restoration, including through community partnerships and government action, more work is needed to be done.
“While our dead zone is shrinking, urban and suburban runoff into the Bay is increasing and oyster crops are still not even close to their historic levels,” the Maryland senator said in a statement.
“With this additional support from the Biden administration, we can invest in more community-led restoration projects that build on our progress and continue to preserve and protect one of our region’s most important natural resources,” Mr. Cardin said.
Dead zones refer to areas of a river where there is insufficient oxygen levels for aquatic life to thrive. These zones are generally caused by “significant nutrient pollution,” according to the EPA.
The report states that stream and river flows into the Chesapeake Bay recorded between January and May 2024 were 63 percent higher than the previous year owing to “higher-than-average precipitation.”
“The slightly above-average estimated hypoxic volume following a season of relatively high stream and river flows indicate that management efforts to keep nutrient runoff out of the Bay watershed is having the desired effect,” the report reads.
