CBP’s key tracking and measurement tool is the annual Chesapeake Bay Health & Restoration Assessment, which draws on the most up-to-date monitoring data gathered by CBP partners to report on the overall health of the Bay ecosystem and tracking and modeling data to report on the restoration efforts. The Health & Restoration Assessment provides a detailed and scientifically grounded summary of what CBP has accomplished in a given year.
In addition to the annual assessment and in response to Congress and GAO, CBP has developed realistic annual targets for many of its topic areas. The realistic annual targets were developed cooperatively by CBP partners with subject matter expertise and resource investments in the relevant topic areas. In many cases, the realistic annual targets are based on existing planning documents, while in other cases CBP partners pooled their expertise to determine attainable levels for their efforts through 2010. The realistic annual targets are also illustrated on the dashboards, which unite key pieces of information from the CBP Activity Integration Plan and other information sources.
Chesapeake Bay Program Realistic Annual Targets
Topic Area |
Measure |
Goal |
Chesapeake 2000 Goal |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
Basinwide |
Implementation of nitrogen reduction practices |
By 2010, 162.5 million pound reduction from 1985 levels to achieve an annual cap load of 175 million lbs (based on long-term average hydrologic simulations) |
1.2.2.2, 2.2.5, 2.4.1.1, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.3 |
47% |
50% (81.19 M lb reduction) |
52% (84.44 M lb reduction) |
54% (87.69 M lb reduction) |
Basinwide |
Implementation of phosphorus reduction practices |
By 2010, 14.36 million pound reduction from 1985 levels to achieve an annual cap load of 12.8 million lbs (based on long-term average hydrologic simulations) |
1.2.2.2, 2.2.5, 2.4.1.1, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.3 |
62% (8.90 M lb reduction) |
64% (9.19 M lb reduction) |
66% (9.48 M lb reduction) |
68% (9.76 M lb reduction) |
Basinwide Sediment Reduction |
Implementation of sediment reduction practices |
By 2010, 1.69 million ton reduction from 1985 levels to achieve an annual cap load of 4.15 million tons (based on long-term average hydrologic simulations) |
1.2.2.2, 2.2.5, 2.4.1.1, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.3 |
64% (1.07 M ton reduction) |
67% (1.13 M ton reduction) |
71% (1.20 M ton reduction) |
74% (1.25 M ton reduction) |
Municipal and Industrial Wastewater |
Wastewater nitrogen |
By 2010, 49.9 million pound reduction from 1985 levels |
3.1.2 |
69% (34.29 M lb reduction) |
74% (36.92 M lb reduction) |
79% (39.42 M lb reduction) |
84% (41.91 M lb reduction) |
Municipal and Industrial Wastewater |
Wastewater phosphorus reduction |
By 2010, 6.16 million pound reduction from 1985 levels |
3.1.2 |
87% (5.36 M lb reduction) |
89% (5.48 M lb reduction) |
91% (5.61 M lb reduction) |
93% (5.73 M lb reduction) |
Agricultural Lands |
Implementation of agricultural nitrogen reduction practices |
By 2010, 96.99 million pound reduction from 1985 levels |
3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.2.2, |
48% (46.57 M lb reduction) |
50% (48.49 M lb reduction) |
52% (50.43 M lb reduction) |
54% (52.37 M lb reduction) |
Agricultural Lands |
Implementation of agricultural phosphorus reduction practices |
By 2010, 6.48 million pound reduction from 1985 levels |
3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.2.2, |
51% (3.29 M lb reduction) |
52% (3.37 M lb reduction) |
53% (3.43 M lb reduction) |
54% (3.50 M lb reduction) |
Agricultural Lands |
Implementation of agricultural sediment reduction practices |
By 2010, 2.55 million ton reduction from 1985 levels |
3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.2.2, |
48% (1.21 M ton reduction) |
50% (1.28 M ton reduction) |
52% (1.33 M ton reduction) |
54% (1.38 M ton reduction) |
Streamside Tidal Shoreline Riparian Areas |
Riparian |
10,000 miles restored between 1996 and 2010 |
1.2.2.2, 2.2.5, 2.4.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.2.1, 3.1.2.2 |
57% (5,722 miles, cumulative) |
62% (6,182 miles, cumulative) |
65% (6,522 miles, cumulative) |
68% (6,837 miles, cumulative) |
Wetlands |
Wetland |
MD, VA, PA, DC, and NY to restore 28,500 acres between 1998 and 2010 |
1.2.2.2, 2.3.1, 2.3.2.1, 2.3.2.2, 2.3.3.2, 4.1.3.3 |
49% (13,999 acres, cumulative)6 |
53% (15,171 acres, cumulative) |
57% (16,343 acres, |
61% (17,516 acres, cumulative) |
SAV |
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Planting |
Accelerate SAV restoration by planting 1,000 acres of new SAV beds between 2003 and 2008 |
2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 |
14% (140 acres, cumulative) |
15% (153 acres, cumulative) |
16% (160 acres, |
17% (167 acres, cumulative) |
Oysters |
Oyster Reef Restoration |
Implement oyster restoration practices on 2,466 acres of oyster bar and reef habitat between 2007 and 2010 |
1.1.1.1, 1.1.1.2 |
32% (776 acres, cumulative) |
53% (1,306 acres, cumulative) |
75% (1,836 acres, cumulative) |
100% (2,466 acres, cumulative) |
Fish Passage |
Fish Passage Restoration |
2,807 miles reopened between 1989 and 2014 and 100 projects completed between 2005 and 2014 |
1.3.1, 1.3.2 |
81% (2,266 miles; 40 projects, cumulative) |
85% (2,376 miles; 50 projects, cumulative) |
89% (2,486 miles; 60 projects, cumulative) |
92% (2,596 miles; 70 projects, cumulative) |
Blue Crab |
Blue Crab Fishery Management |
By 2007, revise and implement existing fisheries management plans to incorporate ecological, social and economic considerations, multi-species fisheries management and ecosystem approaches |
1.5.1 |
56% |
56% |
56% |
56% |
Land Preservation |
Forest Land Protection |
Permanently protect 695,000 additional acres by 2020 |
2.2.1, 2.4.3, 4.1.2, 4.1.3.1, 4.1.3.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5, 4.2.1, 4.2.3 |
0% |
7% |
15% (101,000 acres, cumulative) |
23% (157,200 acres, cumulative) |
Watershed Education |
Meaningful Watershed |
100% of students receive a MWEE by their high school graduation |
5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.4 |
80% of students7 |
81% of students |
82% of students |
84% of students |