A new study says fundamental changes are needed in both public policy and private practices to save the Chesapeake Bay.

The report by the advocacy group Environmental Defense focuses on improving conservation efforts to reduce soil and nutrient runoff from farms. It says the mix of nutrients and soil from nearby land wash into rivers and then into the bay. The report says farmers already are doing a lot to help the bay but there are ways to get greater benefits. The improvements include increasing resources for technical assistance and financial rewards for farmers who produce clean water and other environmental benefits.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed is home to 16 million people in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and West Virginia.