"The Chesapeake Bay restoration plan is fueling the most robust resurgence of underwater grasses and submerged aquatic vegetation in the world, according to a new study.

The study credited the growth to a federal and multistate effort to restore the bay’s health, a project that President Trump plans to eliminate. The plan has reduced nutrient pollution, which comes from human-managed waste and runoff from farms and cities that flow into the nation’s largest estuary. The region’s population has more than doubled to 18 million since 1950, and runoff triggered a crisis by dramatically lowering the levels of oxygen and sunlight that vegetation needs to survive.

Scientists say submerged vegetation is the bay’s “secret garden” because it serves as a protective nursery for numerous species of marine life and waterfowl."

Darryl Fears reports for the Washington Post March 5, 2018. [2]