Funding Sources and Partners

The Chesapeake & Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund allows Maryland to accelerate Bay restoration by focusing limited financial resources on the most effective non-point source pollution control projects as identified in the State’s Tributary Strategies and the 2-Year Milestones. State agencies must work with our local and federal partners to administer funding through new and innovative approaches that leverage the funds to the greatest extent possible, target the funds to the most cost effective locations and practices, engage the community at large, and hold everyone accountable.

The Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) provides Maryland with the means to administer our Coastal Zone Management Program and the opportunity to work together with our partners at the local level to develop programs, plans and strategies to deal with specific coastal issues. Annual grants provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are subdivided into sections with specific objectives. Maryland addresses coastal issues through acquisition and construction projects, coastal zone enhancement projects, creation of new enforceable coastal policies, reducing community vulnerability to the effects of sea level rise and implementation of the Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Program.

The Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant (CBIG), funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), enables Maryland to provide resources for state programs that improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Maryland focuses these funds on initiatives that reduce nonpoint source nutrient and sediment pollution.