The Chesapeake Bay Partnership is a comprehensive cooperative effort between Federal, State, and local governments, non-governmental agencies, and academic institutions to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Federal agencies in the partnership were tasked in 2010 to create an action plan as a response to President Obama's Executive Order (EO). The EO Action Plan is organized into four goal areas (water quality, habitat, fish and wildlife and land and public access) and four supporting strategy sections (citizen stewardship, environmental markets, climate change and science). Each section of the Action Plan describes specific activities, lead agencies and completion dates for each goal Topic.

Understanding Partnership Goals Find the EO Action Plan goal that most closely matches your management objective and learn about specific activities, lead agencies and completion dates. Go to ChesapeakeStat and review current progress toward meeting Bay goals, strategies, and how we spend resources. Think about how to align your management goals with the EO Action Plan

Learn More:

• Executive Order: Action Plan Briefing
• EPA Federal Land Management Guidance

Water Quality

Major Initiatives:

• Target conservation practices in high priority watersheds
• Focus on conservation practices that reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment losses
• Monitor and assess changes in water quality
• Work with states and local partners to expand tracking and reporting systems for conservation practices

Expected Outcomes:

• WATER QUALITY OUTCOME: Meet water quality standards for dissolved oxygen, clarity/ underwater grasses and chlorophyll-a in the Bay and tidal tributaries by implementing 100 percent of pollution reduction actions for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment no later than 2025, with 60 percent of segments attaining standards by 2025.
• STREAM RESTORATION OUTCOME: Improve the health of streams so that 70 percent of sampled streams throughout the Chesapeake watershed rate fair, good or excellent as measured by the Index of Biotic Integrity, by 2025.
• AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION OUTCOME: Work with producers to apply new conservation practices on 4 million acres of agricultural working lands in high-priority watersheds by 2025 to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Learn More:

• Bay Barometer Maps

Healthy Watersheds