Chesapeake Bay Existing Conditions Report Summary

The Chesapeake Bay Existing Conditions Report is a milestone report of the Corps of Engineers' comprehensive investigation of Chesapeake Bay's water resources. It presents the findings of the first, or inventory, phase of the study, and its purpose is to provide water resource planners, scientists, and other interested readers with an assessment of the present status of the Bay, its resources, and its problems. The Existing Conditions Report, divided into a summary and four supporting appendices, presents an overview of the people residing in the Bay Region and the economy; a survey of the land surrounding the Bay and its use; and a description of the Bay itself, the forms of life it supports, and the physical forces that control its hydrodynamics.