Chesapeake Bay | StateImpact Pennsylvania Skip Navigation

Energy. Environment. Economy.

A reporting project of  NPR member stations

TAG | Chesapeake Bay
31 Stories
The newly announced Big Elk Creek State Park is shown near Landenberg, Pa., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. In Chester County, the new park will include 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) of Big Elk Creek, which feeds into the Chesapeake Bay at Elk River. Officials say the creek was long used by indigenous people and was an area of considerable activity for the Underground Railroad. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
November 10, 2023 | 4:19 PM

Chesapeake Bay states hit land preservation milestone

There are now 9.1 million acres of land in the watershed that are permanently protected from development.

By Rachel McDevitt
Scum floats on the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg on Aug. 4, 2023. The Susquehanna is the larest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.
October 20, 2023 | 5:44 PM

Pa. Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts to get federal money

Pennsylvania has been lagging behind other bay states in meeting cleanup goals set for 2025.

By Rachel McDevitt
Pennsylvania's dairy industry has been struggling for several years.
August 21, 2023 | 4:00 PM

Advocates push for conservation money in next Farm Bill

Environmental groups say resources from the Farm Bill can help farmers lower their impact.

By Rachel McDevitt
FILE - A small boat travels along the Honga River near the Chesapeake Bay, as the sky lights up at sunrise in Fishing Creek, Md., May 14, 2020. A report on the Chesapeake Bay released Tuesday, June 6, 2023, found strong disparities between communities in different parts of the bay's watershed in terms of health, economics and social justice concerns, presenting the challenges of improving the health of the nation's largest estuary in a larger context.
June 6, 2023 | 3:58 PM

Chesapeake Bay report cites environmental justice disparities

By Brian White/ The Associated Press
A farm in Stevens, Lancaster County.
May 5, 2023 | 6:05 PM

EPA working with 5 Pa. farms on targeted pollution reduction to benefit Chesapeake Bay

Pennsylvania has been lagging behind other states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed on pollution reduction goals.

By Rachel McDevitt
The Pinnacle Overlook offers views of the Susquehanna River's Lake Aldred in Susquehannock State Park, Lancaster County.
April 21, 2023 | 12:06 PM

EPA reaches settlement over Pa. pollution to Chesapeake Bay

Pennsylvania has been lagging behind other bay states in meeting clean-up goals set for 2025.

By Rachel McDevitt
FILE - A small boat travels along the Honga River near the Chesapeake Bay, as the sky lights up at sunrise in Fishing Creek, Md., May 14, 2020. In an evaluation released on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, an environmental group, gave the Chesapeake Bay watershed a D-plus grade, the same grade it gave the watershed in its last report in 2020.
January 5, 2023 | 1:49 PM

The Chesapeake Bay earns a D+ in latest report.

By The Associated Press
The Susquehanna River in Harrisburg as seen on Aug. 19, 2019. The river is the largest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.
November 21, 2022 | 5:22 PM

Pa. Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan falls short for third time, EPA says

The federal government says it will continue heightened enforcement in the state indefinitely.

By Rachel McDevitt
July 26, 2022 | 8:50 AM

What to know about Pa. DEP’s newest plan to reduce pollution to the Chesapeake Bay

The agency isn’t certain where all the money will come from to pay for what it has planned. The effects of climate change have driven the price higher.

By Adriana Delagarza
June 6, 2022 | 4:18 PM

Chesapeake Bay watershed earns a C+ on latest ‘report card’

The Chesapeake Bay watershed has received an overall grade of C+ on its latest report card.

By Brian White/ The Associated Press
LOAD MORE