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Chesapeake Bay Makes Headway in Cutting Pollution

epa.gov

BALTIMORE (AP) - The Chesapeake Bay Program says states in the bay watershed are about one quarter to one third of the way toward meeting goals for cutting the bay's three main pollutants by 2025.

The new federally led restoration strategy calls for cuts in nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment. The bay program says its models show that between 2009 and 2012, nitrogen pollution was cut 25 percent, phosphorus 27 percent and sediment 32 percent. Nitrogen and phosphorus feed oxygen-robbing algae blooms and sediment clouds water and covers critical species such as bay grasses and oyster beds.

The Chesapeake Bay Program coordinates bay restoration efforts among the federal government and six states in the watershed - Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York - as well as the District of

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.
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