More than 17 million people live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with 640,000 of those people living in New York’s portion. According to the New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation, this portion is made up of the Susquehanna River watershed and the Chemung River watershed. Together, these two watersheds form the northern headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay and cover much of New York’s Southern Tier.

The Susquehanna River begins at Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York and flows 444 miles south to the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The Chemung River flows across the western portion of the Southern Tier and joins the Susquehanna River in northern Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River is the Bay’s largest tributary. It provides nearly 50 percent of the fresh water that enters the Bay- an average of 19 million gallons of water per minute.

In total, some or all of 19 New York counties are in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: Allegany, Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Livingston, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, and Yates.