A new report was released last week showing that while the Chesapeake Bay’s “dead zone” remained at average levels in 2025, the persistence of the dead zone underscores a pollution problem that requires serious action.
The Chesapeake Bay Dead Zone Report Card was issued last week by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Maryland Department of Natural Resources just as the region’s leaders commit to a Chesapeake Bay restoration plan. This dead zone, a low-oxygen area, threatens to smother underwater life like fish, crabs, and oysters that are crucial to the region’s culture and economy.
Dead zones form every summer in parts of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers, though their sizes and duration change from year to year. The dead zones create areas where oxygen levels in the water drop so low that aquatic life cannot survive. They are caused mainly by out-of-control algae growth fed by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. The water becomes so cloudy when the algal blooms die and decompose, the oxygen levels drop low enough to create the dead zones.
Weather also contributes to the creation of these zones. Heavy rain washes more pollution into the Bay. Combined with hot temperatures, the perfect conditions are in place for rampant algae growth. Climate change has exacerbated rising temperatures, making the problem worse since warm water holds less oxygen. The best way to reduce dead zones is to prevent excess nitrogen and phosphorus from flowing into the Bay.
Federal and state leaders on the Chesapeake Executive Council met in person last week and agreed to a 15-year Chesapeake Bay restoration plan. They also committed to the latest version of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. The updated version of the Chesapeake Bay agreement reaffirms state and federal government commitments to meet legally binding guidelines to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution.
Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser attended last week’s meeting. The council elected Shapiro as its next chair, the first time in more than two decades a Pennsylvania governor has served in that role. All expressed support for a healthier Chesapeake Bay.
Alison Hooper Prost is senior vice president for programs at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. She issued the following statement:
“The dead zone is an existential threat to life in the Chesapeake Bay. With climate change intensifying, now is the time to ramp up work to stop pollution from flowing into rivers and the Bay.
“Fortunately, governors from across the region just agreed to a 15-year Bay restoration plan. This agreement reinforces legal commitments to reduce the nitrogen and phosphorus pollution that feeds life-smothering dead zones. Backed by decades of experience and the latest science as a guide, there’s real hope for a restored Bay.
“The next step is clear. Now the states, the District of Columbia, and federal government must deliver the policies and investments needed to reduce pollution, restore habitats, and leave a healthier Chesapeake Bay for future generations.”
