The latest report card is out for the Chesapeake Bay, giving the body of water its highest marks in decades, but trouble spots persist, according to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES).
The 2026 Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Report Card was released Tuesday, and the bay earned an overall grade of C+, the highest score ever in the 40 years that UMCES has been issuing report cards.
Dr. Heath Kelsey, director of the UMCES Integration and Application Network, believes the report shows “strong evidence that restoration efforts are working.”
The report also offers insight into the health of rivers and watersheds throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. For example, Virginia’s lower Chesapeake Bay recorded the highest ever score, and just over half of the 15 regions evaluated in the report show improving health.
“This encouraging high score reflects decades of science, investment, and hard work to restore the Chesapeake Bay,” said Hilary Harp Falk, president and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). “Favorable weather conditions also contributed to the latest results. This offers a glimpse of what a healthier Chesapeake can look like when less pollution reaches our waters. But a C+ is not a final grade.”
Despite the improvement, the report card outlined continuing trouble spots for the bay’s three states. In Maryland, the Patapsco and Back rivers, Lower Western Shore, and Patuxent River, all received “D” scores. Evaluating the watershed, the report said lower Eastern Shore water quality is getting worse over time.
In Virginia, the York and Elizabeth rivers received “D” scores. Water quality in the lower James River watershed, like in Maryland, is getting worse over time. In Pennsylvania, the Lower Susquehanna watershed received a “D+” score, and its health is not improving over time.
“Our collective efforts to improve the health of the Bay are working, but the job is not done,” said Allison Colden, executive director for CBF Maryland. “We’re still lacking uniform progress across Maryland’s tributaries. Rivers like the Patapsco, Patuxent, and Choptank continue to be overburdened by pollution, which is driven by increased development, more intense rainfall, and climate change.”
The UMCES report points out other improvements, like an increase in underwater grasses and a decrease in nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. These are considered impressive achievements given they were accomplished in an era of growing climate change, development, and population growth. One of the environmental initiatives that has contributed to these improvements in the bay’s water quality is the restoration of the oyster population and protection of and investment in oyster sanctuaries.
Some aspects of water quality, however, are cause for concern. Waters are becoming cloudier overall. Additionally, harmful algal blooms, measured in Chlorophyll a, are trending worse.
The UMCES report card arrives at a time when policymakers must take the newly revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement into account when shaping strategy for reducing pollution and restoring waterways by the 2040 deadline set out in the agreement.
“Too many local rivers and streams continue to struggle, and too many communities face threats from pollution, flooding, and a changing climate,” Falk said. “One good report card doesn’t mean the job is finished. Together, we still have a lot of work to do. Now is the time to build on this progress. State and federal leaders have made commitments to restore the Chesapeake Bay, and we expect them to keep those promises. So, let’s roll up our sleeves, sharpen our pencils, and finish the job.”
Colden agrees.
“While we celebrate progress made, we urge state leaders to maintain support for the programs and funding that keeps Bay health trending in the right direction,” Colden said.
