FishRook
By Karl Blankenship, Bay Journal News Service
The Chesapeake Bay region reduced the estimated annual amount of nitrogen pollution reaching the Bay by about 1 million pounds in 2021, according to computer model estimates released Wednesday.
That leaves the region with 41 million pounds of nitrogen reductions left to achieve its 2025 cleanup goal. But if progress continues at the 2021 rate, it will take Bay states another 40 years to reach that goal.
The figures, part of the annual update from the state-federal Bay Program partnership, is the latest indication that the region is unlikely to meet its nutrient reduction goal on time—or anytime in the near future.
Overall, the figures show that since the new Bay cleanup plan was established in 2010, the region has achieved about 42% of its nitrogen reduction goal, leaving just four years to do the bulk of the work.
An overload of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus are the main cause of poor water quality…
