Chesapeake Bay Earns Its Highest-Ever Health Grade, While Lower Susquehanna Scores D+
The Chesapeake Bay has achieved its highest ever health grade of C+ in a new report card, with improvements in the Susquehanna River, its largest tributary, playing a significant role. While this marks a milestone after decades of effort, experts…
Harrisburg Lancaster Lebanon York, PA, October 27, 2026 —
The Chesapeake Bay received a C+ in a new health report card, its highest grade on record, according to the report summary. Improvements in the Susquehanna River, the bay’s largest tributary, played a significant role in the result.
The grade marks a milestone after decades of effort, but the report summary says experts cautioned that further improvement is needed. It does not identify the experts or provide details about the report’s publisher, release date, grading criteria or the specific measures used to assess the bay’s health.
The overall grade also contrasts with conditions in the Lower Susquehanna region, which received a D+. The region includes areas such as Harrisburg, Lancaster and York. The summary points to urbanization and road salt pollution as factors associated with the lower grade, but does not give figures or explain how much each factor contributed.
The grades indicate that progress in the broader watershed has not been uniform. The Susquehanna’s improvement contributed significantly to the bay’s record result, while the Lower Susquehanna rating identifies a continuing challenge within the watershed. The available information does not specify which actions have driven the improvements or outline particular remedies for the issues identified in the lower-scoring region.
The report card’s C+ is a high point in the bay’s recorded grades, not an indication that all concerns have been resolved. With the Lower Susquehanna at D+, the summary underscores the difference between the bay-wide milestone and conditions in one of its regions. Further details about the assessment and its underlying data were not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Karen Hendricks on www.witf.org, see more information here.
Media gallery
