Estuaries occupy a small share of the continental United States but connect major population centers, working landscapes, wildlife habitat, and coastal economies. The figures below show their national scale, the reach of restoration programs, and selected measurements from Chesapeake Bay, Delaware, Long Island Sound, Tampa Bay, and the West Coast.
Contents
- Estuaries in the national landscape
- National restoration activity in 2022
- People, farms, and wildlife in Chesapeake Bay
- Selected program results
- Delaware estuary and Inland Bays measurements
- Long Island Sound and Tampa Bay
- Habitat change and protected coastal wetlands
Estuaries in the national landscape
The EPA’s National Estuary Program 2022 Accomplishments describes estuary regions as economically and demographically significant areas. They comprise 4% of the continental U.S. land area, yet house 40% of the U.S. population and provide 47% of U.S. GDP. These figures describe estuary regions as defined by the source, rather than every acre of open water or every coastal county.
The national program consists of 28 local National Estuary Programs. It was established in 1987, creating a long-running framework for locally directed coastal protection and restoration. Since 2006, National Estuary Programs have invested approximately $12 billion in protecting and restoring more than 1.8 million acres of habitat. Over the same period, they leveraged more than $7 billion to implement priority actions in their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans, or CCMPs.
The program’s financial return is also quantified by the EPA source: the National Estuary Program generated an average of $17 for every $1 provided by EPA. That ratio is a program-level average, not a return assigned to every individual project or estuary.
National restoration activity in 2022
The 2022 results provide a useful snapshot of the work underway across the 28 local programs. National Estuary Programs leveraged approximately $218 million in primary investments during 2022. The largest listed categories included $20.5 million for land acquisition, $13.2 million for public education, $12.0 million for nonpoint source work, and $6.7 million for combined sewer overflow work.
Habitat restoration was the largest specifically reported investment category, with National Estuary Programs collectively investing more than $45 million in primary leveraged funds. Across the year, they completed 463 habitat projects. Those projects protected or restored more than 117,000 acres of habitat.
The 2022 projects also reported estimated nutrient reductions: 443 tons of nitrogen and 27 tons of phosphorus. Because the EPA describes these reductions as estimated, they should not be read as independently measured totals with greater precision than the source provides.
Education and public access were part of the project portfolio as well. In 2022, 88 National Estuary Program habitat projects improved or increased educational or recreational opportunities. The combination of acreage, project counts, nutrient estimates, and public-use improvements shows that the program measured more than construction or land transactions alone.
| 2022 National Estuary Program measure | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Local National Estuary Programs | 28 |
| Primary leveraged investments | Approximately $218 million |
| Habitat projects completed | 463 |
| Habitat protected or restored | More than 117,000 acres |
| Estimated nitrogen reduction | 443 tons |
| Estimated phosphorus reduction | 27 tons |
| Projects improving education or recreation | 88 |
Source: [EPA National Estuary Program 2022 Accomplishments].
People, farms, and wildlife in Chesapeake Bay
The NOAA Chesapeake Bay fact sheet reports that the Chesapeake Bay watershed covers 64,000 square miles and spans 165,759 square kilometers. More than 150 rivers and streams drain into the bay. These two area figures use different units for the same watershed description; they are presented as reported by NOAA rather than recomputed here.
More than 17 million people live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The watershed also includes over 83,000 farms, which generate more than $10 billion annually. Those figures place residential and agricultural activity within the same drainage system that carries water toward the bay.
The watershed supports a broad range of wildlife. More than 250 fish species use Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries during some part of their life cycles. More than 300 migratory bird species can be found in the watershed, and about 1 million ducks, geese, and swans return to overwinter on Chesapeake Bay each fall. These counts describe species or seasonal bird totals in the NOAA fact sheet; they are not a complete census of all estuarine wildlife.
Selected program results
The EPA’s National Estuary Program 2022 Accomplishments provides project-level examples that make the national totals more concrete. The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays implemented 15 habitat projects in 2022 and restored or protected 395.9 acres. It had reforested almost 240 acres since 2015 and planted over 35,000 trees in 2022.
The same Delaware program educated over 600 students at James Farm Ecological Preserve in 2022. It also diverted 3,000 to 4,000 bushels of oyster shells from landfills for an enhancement project and enhanced 4,200 square feet of tidal wetlands in 2022. The shell figure is a range, while the wetland figure is an area measurement for that year.
The Tampa Bay Estuary Program implemented 39 habitat projects in 2022 and restored or protected 29,647.4 acres of habitat. It leveraged $6,351,584 in primary funds. Tampa Bay volunteers removed 9,390 pounds of trash and marine debris, installed 3,000 plants, and improved 14,800 linear feet of habitat during 2022.
The project examples differ in scale and type. Delaware’s figures emphasize trees, student education, shell reuse, and a small measured wetland area alongside 395.9 acres of habitat. Tampa Bay’s figures combine a large habitat-area total with volunteer cleanup, planting, and shoreline-length improvements. These measurements should be compared as separate indicators, not added together.
Delaware estuary and Inland Bays measurements
The Delaware River provides a wider geographic frame for the Inland Bays work. According to the EPA source Mapping Underwater Vegetation in the Delaware Estuary, the Delaware River is 330 miles long from upstate New York to the mouth of Delaware Bay and into the Atlantic Ocean.
More than 15 million people rely on the Delaware River Basin for drinking, agricultural, and industrial use. This is a basin-wide reliance figure, so it should not be interpreted as the population of the estuary itself. It does, however, indicate why water quality and habitat decisions in the river system have consequences across multiple types of use.
The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays figures add several practical measures to that broader context:
- 15 habitat projects were implemented in 2022.
- 395.9 acres were restored or protected in 2022.
- Almost 240 acres had been reforested since 2015.
- Over 35,000 trees were planted in 2022.
- Over 600 students were educated at James Farm Ecological Preserve in 2022.
- 3,000 to 4,000 bushels of oyster shells were diverted from landfills for an enhancement project.
- 4,200 square feet of tidal wetlands were enhanced in 2022.
Together, these figures cover habitat area, project activity, vegetation, education, materials reuse, and wetland enhancement. The periods are not uniform: most measurements refer to 2022, while the reforestation total begins in 2015.
Long Island Sound and Tampa Bay
The Long Island Sound project leveraged $61,222,517 in primary funds in 2022, according to the EPA’s National Estuary Program 2022 Accomplishments. It restored or protected 524.2 acres of habitat during 2022. Within that total, the project protected 433 acres of forests and woodlands, restored 50 acres of tidal flow structure, and removed 37 acres of invasive vegetation.
The Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s 2022 figures show a different combination of investment and area. It leveraged $6,351,584 in primary funds, implemented 39 habitat projects, and restored or protected 29,647.4 acres of habitat. Volunteers removed 9,390 pounds of trash and marine debris, installed 3,000 plants, and improved 14,800 linear feet of habitat.
| Program or project | Primary funds in 2022 | Habitat restored or protected in 2022 | Other reported 2022 measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Island Sound | $61,222,517 | 524.2 acres | 433 forest and woodland acres protected |
| Tampa Bay Estuary Program | $6,351,584 | 29,647.4 acres | 39 habitat projects |
| Delaware Center for the Inland Bays | Not specified in the supplied EPA figures | 395.9 acres | 15 habitat projects |
The area totals are not directly interchangeable. A restored or protected acreage figure can include different habitat types and project methods, while the additional measures—such as tidal-flow restoration, invasive-vegetation removal, or volunteer planting—describe distinct activities.
NOAA Fisheries reports that the Tampa Bay estuary region is home to more than 3 million people. NOAA also reports that ocean-based tourism and recreation industries employ nearly 2.5 million people. The employment figure is for ocean-based tourism and recreation industries and should not be treated as a Tampa Bay-only employment count.
Habitat change and protected coastal wetlands
The NOAA source New Mapping Reveals Lost West Coast Estuary Habitat describes substantial historical habitat loss. West Coast estuaries once covered nearly 2 million acres. The 55 largest West Coast estuaries studied have lost about 85% of their original vegetated wetlands. Those 55 estuaries represent about 97% of the historical West Coast estuary area.
These figures describe historical extent and loss among the studied estuaries, not a forecast of future change and not a claim that every West Coast estuary has experienced the same percentage loss. The 85% figure is specifically tied to the original vegetated wetlands of the 55 largest estuaries studied.
Protection remains another measurable part of the national picture. NOAA Fisheries’ Estuary Habitat source reports that the National Estuarine Research Reserve System protects more than 1.3 million acres of coastal wetland. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System consists of 30 coastal sites, according to NOAA’s Estuary Reserve Locations source.
The West Coast historical measurements and the reserve-system acreage answer different questions. One describes the scale of lost vegetated wetlands across 55 large estuaries; the other describes coastal wetland acreage protected through 30 reserve sites. Keeping those geographies and definitions separate is essential when reading estuary statistics.