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Coal-burning industries spew smoke into the air and send pollutants into the region's rivers.
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A dramatic drop in oyster populations starts to affect Chesapeake Bay health, and state and federal laws move to control the industry.
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Six years after Congress passes the Emergency Striped Bass Act, Maryland imposes a moratorium on striped bass fishing. Virginia soon follows suit, in hopes that a closed fishery will help the species recover from harvest and pollution pressures.
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Baltimore installs separate wastewater and stormwater systems to filter water before it flows into the Chesapeake Bay.
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The Conowingo Hydroelectric Generating Station, also known as the Conowingo Dam, is built at the mouth of the Susquehanna River. Upon its completion, it is the second largest hydroelectric power plant in the United States.
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The Great Depression spurs public works projects that repair and expand the region's roads, bridges, parks, and electrical services into rural areas, encouraging population growth.
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The Great Depression spurs public works projects that repair and expand the region's roads, bridges, parks, and electrical services into rural areas, encouraging population growth.
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Dermo, a disease that kills oysters, is discovered in the Chesapeake Bay.
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MSX, a disease that kills oysters, is found in the lower Chesapeake Bay.
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The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is formed.
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The Clean Water Act is passed, establishing water quality standards and limiting the amount and kinds of pollutants that can enter rivers, streams, and other waterways.
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Six years after Congress passes the Emergency Striped Bass Act, Maryland imposes a moratorium on striped bass fishing. Virginia soon follows suit, in hopes that a closed fishery will help the species recover from harvest and pollution pressures.
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A Maryland ban on phosphate-containing laundry detergent reduces the amount of phosphorus flowing from wastewater treatment plants into the Chesapeake Bay.
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Maryland and Virginia lift the ban on striped bass fishing. The fish is declared a recovered species six years later.
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The 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement set the first-ever numeric goals to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, aiming to lower the nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Bay by 40 percent by the year 2000.
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The Clean Vessel Act establishes a grant program to fund the construction of pump-out stations at marinas across the watershed, presenting a viable alternative to the overboard disposal of sewage.
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The Maryland Water Quality Improvement Act calls for the addition of a phosphorus-reducing enzyme to poultry feed, lowering nutrient levels in poultry litter.
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A law passed in Pennsylvania requires certain farmers to develop and implement nutrient management plans, limiting the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that can run off of farms and into local waterways. In 1994, Virginia followed suit. In 1998, Maryland enacted similar legislation.
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Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant begins to use nutrient removal technology to lower the amount of nitrogen it sends into the Potomac River and improve water quality.
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The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission closes Atlantic sturgeon fishing along the East Coast. The 40-year ban is the longest fishing moratorium on record.
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President Obama signs an executive order that calls on the federal government to renew the effort to protect and restore the watershed.
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Maryland records its lowest blue crab harvest: 20.2 million pounds.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issues water quality criteria for the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries.
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Maryland, Virginia, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission issue emergency regulations on the harvest of blue crabs to help the species recover. The Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab fishery is declared a federal disaster.
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President Obama signs an executive order that calls on the federal government to renew the effort to protect and restore the watershed.
