ANNAPOLIS, MD (AP) – The health of the Chesapeake Bay has slightly declined in an annual report card on the nation’s largest estuary. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science gave the bay a C grade. That compares to a C-plus grade last year — which was the highest grade the bay had received since 2002. The report noted that last year was the hottest year on record, with extreme rainfall patterns. Despite the grade drop, the report cited long-term improvements in dissolved oxygen in the bay’s waters to help support bay life. The report also noted long-term improvements in aquatic grasses. The health of the bay is a reflection of what’s happening across its six-state watershed, which includes PA, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia along with the District of Columbia.
