All living things need water. In the Chesapeake Bay region, waterways support more than 3,000 species of plants and animals. Healthy water contains a balanced amount of nutrients and normal fluctuations in salinity and temperature. It also has plenty of oxygen and little sediment so that underwater living resources can breathe or receive enough sunlight to grow. Monitoring the changes to the Bay's waterways is important, and the data that is collected can help scientists make determinations about water quality.

Water Quality Factors:

• Nutrients are essential for plants and animals, but too much can cause harmful effects.
• Sediments can cloud the water which can hamper the growth of aquatic plants.
• Water temperature affects when animals and plants feed, reproduce, and migrate.
• Salinity greatly determines where plants and animals live within the Bay.
• Dissolved oxygen is essential for animals living within the Bay.
• Chemical contaminants can affect the growth, survival and reproducibility of benthic organisms.
  

	Dissolved Oxygen (DO) : refers to the amount of oxygen that is present in a given quantity of water. We measure it as a concentration using units of mg/l i.e., the milligrams of oxygen dissolved in a liter of water. Oxygen levels are important because everything that swims or crawls in the Bay requires oxygen to live......(Learn More) Also See: 2003 Low Dissolved Oxygen

Tidal Bay & Rivers: General Overview | Current Conditions Non-tidal Rivers: General Overview	Groundwater: General Overview Urban Storm Water: What is Urban Storm Water? | Why is it Important? | How is it Water Managed? | How Does the Bay Program Address Storm Water Management?
Restoring Bay Water Quality: Introduction | Brief Overview of Process | Chesapeake 2000 | Restoring the Bay: How We Get There | Developing New Water Quality Standards | Dissolved Oxygen | Chlorophyll a & Water Clarity | Modeling | Watershed Partners | Opportunities to Get Involved | Detailed Technical Overview of Process | Tributary Strategy Local Implementation

	Communications, Presentations and Information Sources: Presentations, backgrounders, links to Bay Journal articles and additional information related to the Restoring Bay Water Quality initiative.
	Current Conditions: This tool shows how the Current Conditions of the Chesapeake Bay this year compare with the monitoring data collected since 1985.
	Watershed Profiles: Assembles maps, charts and information that portray the environmental condition of Chesapeake Bay watersheds.
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation: There are 16 species of SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation) commonly found in the Chesapeake Bay or nearby rivers. These Bay grasses contribute to water quality as they function to remove excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, that could fuel unwanted growth of algae in the surrounding waters. (learn more)
Other Sites of Interest: Eyes on the Bay - Maryland DNR Water Quality - Chesapeake Bay Region - USGS Clean Water Action Plan - EPA Office of Water National Water Quality Monitoring Council Conference USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program

To bookmark this page, please use this URL: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/wquality.htm

For more information, contact the Chesapeake Bay Program Office:
410 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD 21403 / Tel: (800) YOUR-BAY / Fax: (410) 267-5777.

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Directions to the Bay Program Office

Last modified: 08/15/2005