Pollution Diet Regulations for Chesapeake Bay

[Guest U.S. EPA]

EPA today announced draft allocations for nitrogen and phosphorus as part of a rigorous pollution diet for meeting water quality standards in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, and restoring local rivers and streams throughout the 64,000-square-mile watershed.

 

“Restoring the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries will not be easy,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “While we all recognize that every jurisdiction within the watershed will have to make very difficult choices to reduce pollution, we also recognize that we must collectively accelerate our efforts if we are going to restore this national treasure as part of our legacy for future generations.”

 

EPA proposed watershed-wide limits of 187.4 million pounds of nitrogen and 12.5 million pounds of phosphorus annually, and divided those allocations among the six watershed states and the District of Columbia, as well as the major river basins (see link below). These loadings were determined using the best peer-reviewed science and through extensive collaboration with the states and the District of Columbia. EPA will assign draft allocations for sediment August 15.

 

In addition, EPA is committing to reducing air deposition of nitrogen to the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay to 15.7 million pounds per year. The reductions will be achieved through implementation of federal air regulations over the coming years.

 

The jurisdictions are expected to use the allocations as the basis for completing Watershed Implementation Plans, detailing how they will further divide these allocations among pollution sources, and achieve the required reductions. The first drafts of those plans are due to EPA by September 1. The jurisdictions are expected to have all practices in place to meet the established limits by 2025, with 60 percent of the effort completed by 2017.

 

EPA plans to issue a draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) or pollution diet for a 45-day public comment period on September 24. The final Phase 1 Watershed Implementation Plans are due November 29, and EPA will establish the Bay TMDL by December 31.

 

In 2017, the jurisdictions are expected to submit updated implementation plans to ensure that all the control measures needed to meet Bay water quality standards will be in place by 2025.

 

In 2009, EPA announced that it expects the six watershed states and D.C. to provide Watershed Implementation Plans, including detailed strategies for reducing pollutant loads to meet water quality standards in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. EPA also expects detailed schedules for implementing pollution controls and achieving the required pollution reductions. EPA and the jurisdictions will measure progress utilizing two-year milestones. EPA may apply federal backstop measures for inadequate plans or failing to meet the milestones.

 

For more information about the Chesapeake Bay TMDL visit: http://www.epa.gov/chesapeakebaytmdl/

 

Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.

[Luke_Wilbur]

I hope this is true. But, we will have to wait in see.

[Guest Chesapeake Bay Foundation]

Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte proposed an amendment barring all federal funding for implementing the recently-released Bay “pollution diet” or TMDL. Congressman Goodlatte’s amendment would deny all federal financial and technical assistance for the rest of fiscal year 2011 to farmers, towns, cities, sanitation districts, and other entities striving to reduce pollution to local waterways and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay.

 

Despite the best efforts of Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Virginia Congressman Jim Moran and others, the Goodlatte amendment passed the House 230-195.

 

This was probably the most important recorded Congressional vote on the Chesapeake Bay in years.

 

Letting your elected representatives know your position on the work they are doing is a very important part of the legislative process. Thank you to the thousands of CBF members who sent messages to their representatives telling them to oppose the amendment. In spite of the passage of the amendment, we know your voice was heard. To find out how your representative voted and let them know your thoughts click here.

 

This is a critically important time in Bay restoration and the implementation of the new "pollution diet" is the key to future progress. The battle is far from over. Now the Senate will have to decide whether to accept Congressman Goodlatte’s amendment. We may need your help again soon, and will keep you informed as the process moves forward. CBF will not be deterred.

[brigixined]

Hey,

I read this post,its very informative post. i read that The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure constituting the largest estuary in the United States and one of the largest and most biologically productive estuaries in the world.The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in coordination with the Bay watershed jurisdictions of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, New York, and the District of Columbia (DC), developed on December 29, 2010, established a nutrient and sediment pollution diet for the Bay.