The Chesapeake Bay Watershed in Delaware

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map of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in DelawareAbstract from “Socioeconomic Value of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in Delaware”

The Chesapeake Bay watershed in Delaware

  1. contributes over $2 billion in annual economic activity—from the benefits associated with water quality, water supply, ecotourism, recreation, agriculture, forest, open space, and navigation.
  2. provides annual ecosystem value of natural goods and services of $3.4 billion (in 2010 dollars) with a net present value (NPV) of $109.6 billion over a perpetual lifetime.
  3. is directly/indirectly responsible for 47,000 jobs with $1.2 billion in annual salaries.

Delaware occupies 702 square miles or just about 1% of the 64,000-sq-mi Chesapeake Bay watershed, while the Chesapeake Bay watershed covers about 35% of Delaware’s land area (1,953 square miles).  Almost 140,000 residents—16% of the First State’s total population of 885,000—live in Delaware portion of the watershed.  More than 41,800 people—11% of Delaware’s total employment—work in the Delaware portion of the watershed.

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