From Funding Gaps to Clean Water Gains

In policy circles, it’s a common refrain—the budget reflects priorities. As an intern with the Coalition this summer via the Yale Conservation Scholars Program, I had the opportunity to take a deep dive into the budgets of three jurisdictions in the Chesapeake Bay region and assess how their budgets align with the clean water goals outlined in the 2025 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

For this project, the budgets of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia were put under the microscope. Beyond their alignment with the Bay Agreement goals, I also explored policy and funding gaps that should be addressed through future policy initiatives and created policy recommendations that consider these gaps.

All three jurisdictions have made investments towards clean water goals through programs that support updates to wastewater infrastructure, address agricultural pollution, and support watershed restoration. Maryland has programs and funding, such as the Bay Restoration Fund and the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share Program, that are contributing significantly to Maryland’s clean water goals. Virginia has experienced success with programs like the Virginia Agricultural BMP Cost-Share Program and the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Program. The District of Columbia can also attribute its water quality success to programs such as the District of Columbia Clean Water Construction Grant program and the DOEE Stormwater Fee Fund, which have supported water quality projects in the District.

Stormwater pollution is the fastest growing source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Photo courtesy Chesapeake Bay Program.

Even though these jurisdictions have achieved success in water quality improvement in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, they still face challenges that need to be addressed. Limited funding is a recurring issue across jurisdictions and a major hindrance to achieving their water quality goals. Federal funding cuts have also put more pressure on state investments to really advance water quality and restoration goals within jurisdictions. Conducting state lead interviews really helped us connect the research to the issues that environmental advocates tackle every day. Issues such as stormwater pollution, water quality monitoring, and emerging contaminants continue to affect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and require ongoing attention.

I hope this project proves to be a useful resource for coalition members and aids in the creation of advocacy tools such as funding transparency dashboards, project and impact maps, talking points for advocates, and many other useful tools.

Kierstin Hines is a Choose Clean Water Coalition Intern through the Yale Conservation Scholars Program