Images

This map displays the long term trend for suspended sediment, as well as the percent total change in flow-normalized loads for suspended sediment across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed from 1985 to 2023. 

This map displays the long-term trend for total nitrogen, as well as the total change in flow-normalized per-acre loads for total nitrogen across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed from 1985 to 2023. 

This map displays the long-term trend for total phosphorus, as well as the total change in flow-normalized per-acre loads for total phosphorus across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed from 1985 to 2023. 

This map displays the long-term trend for orthophosphate, as well as the total change in flow-normalized per-acre loads for orthophosphate across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed from 1985 to 2023. 

View of the Susquehanna River, the longest river on the east coast of the United States.

(a) Predicted median annual specific conductance (SC) for all modeled stream reaches in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW) for the 2014–2016 time period. (b) SC departure classes for the 2014–2016 time period. (c) Percent of the modeled CBW area in each of the departure classes over the four time periods.

The USGS and local partners hosted a meeting at the War Branch monitoring station to share water-quality and conservation work happening in the watershed with farmers, environmental and agricultural agencies, nonprofit groups, and local universities.

USGS scientists Jimmy Webber and Dan Burns explain how water quality equipment is used to take measurements at War Branch and other monitoring stations.

Community partners tour the bioreactor at War Branch. 

The War Branch bioreactor was installed below a natural spring in the War Branch watershed. The USGS had previously measured elevated nitrate concentrations from this spring. 

Community partners tour the bioreactor at War Branch. 

The War Branch bioreactor was installed below a natural spring in the War Branch watershed. The USGS had previously measured elevated nitrate concentrations from this spring. 

The War Branch bioreactor was installed below a natural spring in the War Branch watershed. The USGS had previously measured elevated nitrate concentrations from this spring. 

War Branch is an 11 square mile watershed in Rockingham County, Virginia with mostly poultry and beef agricultural activities. 

Locations of the current monitoring sites that are a part of the Chesapeake Bay Small Agricultural Watershed Monitoring Program.

Sams Creek is an 11 square mile watershed which sits in both Frederick and Carrol counties in Maryland.   This watershed as a mixture of cattle and cropping practices.  

The purple dot on the map represents the location of the future Sams Creek monitoring site.

Hammer Creek is a 13 square mile watershed in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. It has a mixture of cropland and animal-raising activities. 

Little Conewago Creek is a 5 square mile watershed in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. Like Hammer Creek, it has a mixture of animal and crop agricultural activities. 

Bucks Branch is a 7 square mile watershed in Sussex County, Delaware with mostly poultry and row-crop agricultural activities. 

The green dot on the map represents the location of the Bucks Branch monitoring site. Stream monitoring data from this iste can be viewed here.

Map of sampling locations (left) and a graph plotting stream-health expectations across gradients of conservation practices and land use (top right). The map shows locations of streams measured in agricultural and developed landscapes.

U.S. Geological Survey scientist measuring stream habitat

USGS scientists Hillary Dozier and Jimmy Webber work on installing a monitoring station at War Branch. NWIS data for this site can be found here.

Conceptual diagram showing how this study assesses stream health, stressors, and landscapes in Chesapeake Bay watershed streams with varied conservation practices and land use.