The Economic Benefits of Cleaning Up the Chesapeake: A Valuation of the Natural Benefits Gained by Implementing the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint

The peer-reviewed economic report, The Economic Benefits of Cleaning Up the Chesapeake, include the following findings:

• In 2009 (before the Blueprint), the lands and waters of the Chesapeake Bay region provided economic benefits totaling $107.2 billion annually. This serves as the baseline for our study. These benefits include air and water filtration, agricultural and seafood production, property valuation, and flood and hurricane protection.
• The value of these same benefits will increase by $22.5 billion to $129.7 billion annually if the Blueprint is fully implemented. Once realized, those benefits would be enjoyed year after year.
• If the Blueprint is not fully implemented, pollution loads will increase, and the value of the natural benefits will decline by $5.6 billion annually to $101.5 billion. The value of the Bay region’s natural benefits will decline further after 2025 as additional pollution continues to degrade our natural resources.