During Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) partnered with the Chesapeake Bay Program, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Choose Clean Water Coalition, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Virginia Conservation Network, and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to raise awareness about this environmentally and economically valuable resource and recognize the partnerships at all levels that are making Bay restoration possible.

The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest estuary. Its 64,000 square-mile watershed spans six states, including the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Events will be held across the watershed, including in metropolitan Washington, to celebrate the Bay and acknowledge its water quality progress and continued challenges.

COG Chesapeake Bay and Water Resources Policy Committee Chairman Libby Garvey discusses Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week on Comcast Newsmakers.

“Investing our local tax and utility dollars in important water infrastructure is paying off for everyone,” said COG Chesapeake Bay and Water Resources Policy Committee (CBPC) Chairman and Arlington County Board Member Libby Garvey in a joint press release by the Awareness Week partners. The CBPC addresses both Chesapeake Bay and local water quality challenges in the region.

“We can see that years of investments by local governments and utilities to reduce pollutants in local streams and the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers are making a big difference,” said Garvey. “The Chesapeake Bay and our local waters are showing clear signs of water quality improvements, and we’re thrilled to join the entire watershed in celebrating this progress while acknowledging that there is still hard work to be done by all.”

Paddling on the Anacostia River, a part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed (Chesapeake Bay Program/Flickr)

Metropolitan Washington wastewater utilities have made plant upgrades that implement state-of-the-art technologies and reduce greenhouse gases, and investments by area governments have reduced stormwater pollutants in local streams. These actions have been central to the water quality progress seen in the Potomac and Anacostia, and ultimately the Bay, resulting in greater quality of life and improved economic opportunity for the region and watershed.

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Join Communities Across the Watershed in Celebrating Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week
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