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The Chesapeake Bay, the Nation's largest estuary, has been degraded due to water quality problems, loss of habitat, and over harvesting of living resources. Additionally, the Bay was listed under the Clean Water Act as an "impaired water body" due to excess nutrients and sediments and must improve water-quality conditions by 2010.

graphic representation of the Chesapeake Watershed area that the CBP Chesapeake 2000 agreement covers

In response to the problems facing the Bay, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), which is a multi-agency partnership, completed Chesapeake 2000, a new agreement that revises and establishes new restoration goals for the next 10 years in the Bay and its watershed.

The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS), one of the original CBP Federal partners, has the critical role to provide unbiased scientific information that is utilized to formulate, implement, and assess the effectiveness of restoration goals. The USGS Chesapeake Bay Science Program is meeting these needs through a combination of research, monitoring, modeling, and interaction with the partners in the CBP and the Department of Interior (DOI). To meet the expanded needs of Chesapeake 2000 and DOI partners, the USGS redefined our science goals:

  • Improve watershed and land-use data to understand changes in water quality and living resources.
  • Understand the impact of sediment on water clarity and biota.
  • Enhance the prediction and monitoring of nutrient delivery to the Bay.
  • Assess the occurrence of toxic constituents and emerging contaminants.
  • Assess the factors affecting the health of fish and water birds.
  • Disseminate information and enhance decision-support tools.

The USGS Chesapeake Science Program depends on the coordination of multiple USGS Programs and partners that have a scientific interest in the Bay restoration. Over forty USGS scientists located in offices throughout the Bay watershed and at the CBP, are involved in scientific investigations and information dissemination. See our fact sheet on the U.S. Geological Survey Chesapeake Bay Science Program FS-125-01 and the U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1220 - The U.S. Geological Survey and the Chesapeake Bay -- The Role of Science in Environmental Restoration for additional information.

Highlights of selected U.S. Geological Survey results in support of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Effort are available.

photos of areas in the Chesapeake Bay watershed The Programs and Projects page has links to the USGS programs focused on the Bay and its watershed. The Data page gives information and links on various USGS data and spatial information sites focused on the Bay area. Links to reports, press releases, and the bilbiography are available on the Publications page.


We welcome suggestions or comments that would make this Web site more useful.

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