Water quality and living resources in the Chesapeake Bay that declined steadily over the last several decades have begun to show improvement. Bay grasses, which perform crucial functions in the ecosystem, have increased throughout the Bay. The oyster and blue crab catch, however, continues to dwindle, and some find fish populations have declined. Species, such as striped bass have increased to the point that they are commercially viable again.

The Chesapeake Bay's decline was evident as early as the 1950s. In the late 1970s, state and federal scientists began an extensive study to determine the reasons for the Bay's decline. Thre

e major problems were identified; excess nutrients from wastewater, agricultural lands, and developed land; sediment in runoff from farms, construction sites, and eroding lands; and possible elevated levels of toxic chemicals.

There are three basic ways that pollution gets into the Chesapeake Bay. The first is point source discharges such as sewage treatment plants, industrial facilities, and food production and processing facilities. They discharge nutrient and toxic-laden wastes, often through pipes, directly into the water. Some facilities carry their wastes off site and spread them across the land, where they eventually flow into the water. Many point source dischargers have made progress in reducing the amounts of pollution they dump into the water, but far too many nutrients and toxins still enter the Bay. As long dischargers are permitted to use lakes, oceans and bays as dumping grounds waste, point source pollution will continue as a problem for the Bay.

Efforts must be taken by the government and individuals to help reduce the amount of pollution deposited in the bay. Restrictions need to be made on the amount of pesticides used in the Bay's watershed. Erosion must be decreased through more responsible planting, and construction site layout. Air pollution needs to be combated through the use of technology to make cleaner burning engines, power plants, and factories.

The presence of phosphorus in the Chesapeake Bay has been receiving extra attention because of its possible role in outbreaks of the toxic microbe pfiesteria. Pfiesteria is suspected to cause lesions on fish in the Bay. There are currently studies underway searching for a correlation between fertilizer runo

Some common words found in the essay are:
Chesapeake Bay, Bay Polluted, Chesapeake Bay's, Bay Toxic, Bay Efforts, Bay America's, Eastern Shore's, Pfiesteria Toxins, chesapeake bay, Bay Nitrogen, Bay Bay, air pollution, construction sites, power plants factories, excess nutrients, nitrogen phosphorus, bay receiving, toxic chemicals, maryland virginia, bay's decline, pollution chesapeake bay, chesapeake bay receiving, underwater grasses,
Approximate Word count = 1147
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)