Srivastava, JitendraCestti, RitaJung, Samira2013-08-162013-08-162003-060-8213-5523-6https://hdl.handle.net/10986/15119The Chesapeake Bay is the largest and historically most productive estuary in the United States. It is approximately 200 miles long and 35 mile wide at it broadest point. The Bay's watershed includes parts of six states (Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the entire District of Columbia. This area encompasses 64,000 square-miles, 150 major rivers and streams and has a population of 15.1 million people. It receives half of its water from the Atlantic Ocean; the rest from rivers, streams and groundwater sources. Fifty percent of the freshwater coming into the Bay comes from the Susquehanna River, which starts in New York State and flows through Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay supports 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals. It is home to 29 species of waterfowl, a major resting ground along the Atlantic Migratory Bird Flyway, and provides winter nesting for over one million waterfowl. After years of decline, the Bay still supports number of commercial and recreational fisheries, producing about 500 million pounds of seafood per annum. Over the years as its population the watershed grew, use of agricultural chemicals became widespread and livestock numbers increased, the water quality in the Bay declined. Nutrients, sediments and toxic chemicals flowing into the Bay were decreasing dissolved oxygen, increasing turbidity, killing-off sea grasses and producing diseases in fish and shellfish. Research undertaken in the late 1970s and early 1980s determined that the major culprits responsible for the decline of the Chesapeake Bay's health were the excess nutrient loads from municipal wastewater plants and from agriculture and residential lands, the sediment runoff from agricultural and residential construction, and the high level of toxic chemicals coming from industry and agriculture.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOWATERSHEDAGRICULTUREPOLLUTION CONTROLCROP ROTATIONSTRIP CROPPINGCOVER CROPSWATERWAYSWASTE MANAGEMENTPOULTRYFERTILIZER DISTRIBUTIONTREE PLANTINGFOREST RESTORATIONGRAZING MANAGEMENTSEDIMENT DISCHARGEFARMERSSOIL EROSIONLIVESTOCK AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALSAGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONAGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMSAGRICULTURAL RUNOFFAGRICULTURAL WATERAGRICULTUREAIR POLLUTIONALFALFAANIMAL WASTESANIMALSATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITIONBASINSBEANSBENEFICIAL USEBEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICESBIODIVERSITYBMPSBUFFER ZONESCOASTAL EROSIONCOMPOSTINGCONSERVATIONCONSERVATION TILLAGECONTAMINATED WATERCONTROLLED GRAZINGCONVENTIONAL TILLAGECORNCOTTONCOTTON CROPCROPCROP PRODUCTIONCROP PRODUCTION SYSTEMSCROP RESIDUE MANAGEMENTCROP ROTATIONCROP YIELDCROP YIELDSCROPLANDCROPPING SYSTEMCROPPING SYSTEMSCROPSCULTIVATED LANDDEGRADATIONDISCHARGEDISSOLVED OXYGENDIVERSIONDRAINAGEDRINKING WATERECOLOGYEFFICIENT USEENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITSENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTSEUTROPHICATIONEVAPORATIONEXOTIC SPECIESFARMFARMERSFARMSFERTILIZERFERTILIZERSFILTRATIONFISHFISHERIESFISHINGFLOODPLAINSFRACTURED BEDROCKFRESHWATERFUEL CONSUMPTIONGASESGRASSED WATERWAYSGRASSESGROUNDWATERGROUNDWATER SOURCESHABITATHARVESTINGHAYHEAVY RAINFALLHERBICIDESINTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENTIRRIGATIONLAND USELAND USESLEGUMESMANUREMECHANICAL WEEDINGMOISTUREMULCHMUNICIPAL WASTEWATERNITRATESNITROGENNITROGEN REMOVALNUTRIENT LOADSNUTRIENT REMOVALNUTRIENTSPARTICLESPARTICULATEPESTICIDEPESTICIDE USEPESTICIDESPHOSPHORUSPOINT SOURCEPOINT SOURCE POLLUTIONPOINT SOURCESPOLLUTIONPOLLUTION CONTROLPOLLUTION CONTROL PROJECTSPOULTRYPRECIPITATIONPROGRAMSQUALITY CONTROLQUALITY OF WATERRAINFALLRECHARGERIPARIANRIPARIAN COUNTRIESRIVERSROOT SYSTEMSROOT ZONERUNOFF WATERSEASEDIMENTSEDIMENT RETENTIONSEDIMENTATIONSEDIMENTSSEEDINGSEWAGESLOPING LANDSSOIL EROSIONSOIL TYPESOILSSPACINGSPRINGSTRIP CROPPINGSURFACE RUNOFFSURFACE WATERSURFACE WATER QUALITYSURFACE WATER RUNOFFSURFACE WATERSTOXIC CHEMICALSTREE PLANTINGTREE PLANTINGSUNEPURBAN RUNOFFWASTEWASTE MANAGEMENTWATER POLLUTANTSWATER QUALITYWATER QUALITY MANAGEMENTWATER RESOURCEWATER SYSTEMWATER TABLESWATERFOWLWATERSWATERSHEDWATERSHEDSWATERWAYSWEEDSWETLANDSWorld Bank10.1596/0-8213-5523-6