EPA Increases Annual Funding to Accelerate Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration

EPA Increases Annual Funding to Accelerate Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration

More efficient funding approach redirects funds from coordination activities to environmental projects.

April 22, 2026

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will award $39.5 million in funding to signatory jurisdictions of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement - ensuring the effective and responsible use of taxpayer resources by aligning dollars with environmental outcomes.

Through a more efficient funding approach, EPA is shifting money from coordination activities to field-tested projects. The agency will now redirect savings to Chesapeake Bay watershed states' implementation grants to support the direct implementation of restoration projects that will reduce nutrient and sediment run-off into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. These efficiencies result in an increase of $2.7 million for state implementation grants over prior annual funding levels. This means that more taxpayer dollars are now going towards actual environmental restoration work.

"Every dollar we move from overhead to action is a dollar that cleans up a local stream, strengthens a community, and restores the Chesapeake Bay," said EPA Region 3 Administrator Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey. "This funding empowers our state and District partners-along with farmers, towns, and community groups-to put proven practices in place faster. It's cooperative federalism in motion, and it advances EPA's core mission of protecting human health and the environment."

This increased investment will accelerate on-the-ground efforts that deliver cleaner water and healthier habitats across the watershed. Jurisdictions can expand proven practices such as agricultural conservation and nutrient management, stream and wetland restoration, urban stormwater retrofits, tree plantings and riparian buffers, and wastewater and septic upgrades. These projects reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment; improve habitat for fish, oysters, and underwater grasses; bolster community resilience to flooding; and support local economies linked to the Bay.

EPA is investing a total of more than $57 million in implementation grants to Chesapeake Bay signatory partners this year. EPA will continue to prioritize practical, measurable work and strong accountability so that taxpayers see real environmental results.

The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and the heart of the region's culture and economy. Today's action strengthens the partnership that is restoring the Bay-stream by stream, community by community-so that future generations inherit cleaner water, thriving fisheries and wildlife, and a more resilient watershed.