A new report by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation shows that the health of the bay slightly improved in 2012. The Bay received an overall score of 32 out of 100, which is one point higher than 2010 and four points higher than 2008.
Out of the 13 bay health indicators, which include wetlands, crabs, and phosphorus and nitrogen pollution, the study shows that five improved, one declined, and seven flat lined.
A senior scientist in the Foundation’s Pennsylvania office have said that some of the success can directly be attributed to the restoration of forested buffers that help to prevent nutrient and sediment pollution.
“We’ve actually facilitated the implementation of (more than) 2,400 miles of those types of forests in Pennsylvania,” Harry Campbell said. “They’re one of the best practices that we have to improve local water quality and the Chesapeake Bay.”
Among the group’s priorities for Pennsylvania in 2013 are helping local governments achieve clean water goals in line with the bay’s Clean Water Blueprint and assisting farmers in reducing agricultural pollution. Click here to read the report.