Chesapeake Bay TMDL
Making Progress
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Some links on this page lead to non-EPA sites. District of Columbia
Making Progress
with permission GeorgeTown Patch
Blue Plains Upgrade to Cut Nitrogen Discharges -- The District broke ground in May 2011 on a project to significantly reduce the discharge of nitrogen from the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant — the largest point source of nitrogen in the Bay watershed. The plant is upgrading to "enhanced nutrient removal" — a central feature in the District's plan to meet its TMDL pollution reductions and its permit that requires a 45% cut in nitrogen. Read more...
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- DC Making Wise Investment in RiverSmart Homes -- RiverSmart Homes, a District-wide program, is offering incentives to homeowners interested in reducing stormwater runoff from their properties. Homeowners receive up to $1,200 to adopt one or more of the following landscape enhancements: shade trees, rain barrels, pervious pavers, rain gardens and BayScaping. Read more...
- DC Implementing Plan to Cut CSOs by 96% -- The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) is implementing its Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) for the District's combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to Rock Creek and the Anacostia and Potomac rivers for treatment at DC Water's Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. The entire project is expected to reduce CSOs annually by 96% throughout the system and by 98% for the Anacostia River alone. Read more...
- DC Water Breaks Ground on Tunnels Project — The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) broke ground on Oct. 12, 2011 on the $2.6 million Clean Rivers Project – a series of massive underground tunnels and diversion sewers that will nearly eliminate combined sewer overflows to the Anacostia and Potomac rivers and Rock Creek, and improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Read more...
- Visit the District's website to learn more about their TMDL efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
- Contact the District's Watershed Implementation Plan Coordinators (PDF) (3pg, 133K).
Some links on this page lead to non-EPA sites. Delaware
Making Progress
Nanticoke River, Seaford, Delaware
with permission, Delaware State
with permission, Delaware State
Delaware/Maryland Wastewater Treatment Plant Unveiled — A new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility straddling the border of Delaware and Maryland will provide significant clean water benefits for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The facility was unveiled at a ceremony on Dec. 20, 2011. The plant was upgraded to include the addition of biological and enhanced nutrient removal systems that effectively reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loadings entering waterways that drain into the Chesapeake Bay. Read more ...
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- Delaware Developing New Stormwater Regulations — The state-wide regulation review for both the stormwater and onsite (septic) programs is underway and new controls for both sectors will be required when the regulations are promulgated by early 2012. Read more...
- Farmers Increase Conservation Efforts in the Bay — The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Delaware recently awarded $715,000 to the Sussex Conservation District (SCD) through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) to help farmers increase conservation efforts in the Chesapeake Bay. Read more...
- Delaware Adopts new CAFO requirements — The State of Delaware has adopted confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) requirements, which regulate chicken houses over a specified number in order to address manure and other water quality factors. Read more...
- Visit Delaware's website to learn more about their TMDL efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
- Contact Delaware's Watershed Implementation Plan Coordinators (PDF) (3pg, 133K).
Some links on this page lead to non-EPA sites. Maryland
Making Progress
Bridges Havre de Grace, MD
with permission Chesapeake Bay Program
with permission Chesapeake Bay Program
Clean Water Funding Approved — A month after approving more than $19 million in grants to reduce pollution and improve water quality by boosting technology at wastewater treatment plants, the Maryland Board of Public Works on Feb. 8 approved more than $1.6 million in grants to upgrade septic systems and restore a stream. "Project such as these are an important part of our effort to protect and restore Maryland waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay," said Governor Martin O’Malley. “These projects reduce pollution and protect public health while creating jobs for more Marylanders.” Read more ...
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- Plant Upgrade Funding Approved — On Jan. 4, 2012, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved more than $19 million in grants to reduce pollution and improve water quality by upgrading technology at wastewater treatment plants. "Project such as these are an important part of our effort to improve Maryland waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay," said Lieutenant Governor Anthony G. Brown. Read more ...
- Maryland/Delaware Wastewater Treatment Plant Unveiled — A new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility straddling the border of Maryland and Delaware will provide significant clean water benefits for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The facility was unveiled at a ceremony on Dec. 20, 2011. The plant was upgraded to include the addition of biological and enhanced nutrient removal systems that effectively reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loadings entering waterways that drain into the Chesapeake Bay. Read more ...
- Maryland Approves Funding to Reduce Pollution — The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved nearly $8 million in grants to reduce pollution, improve water quality and protect drinking water by upgrading a wastewater treatment plant, a drinking water reservoir and a stormwater management facility. “Projects such as these are an important part of our effort to improve Maryland waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “These projects reduce pollution and protect public health while creating jobs for more Marylanders.” Read more ...
- Governor Signs Legislation to Limit Fertilizer Use — Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley in May 2011 signed legislation that will reduce pollution from lawn fertilizer applied to homes, golf courses and businesses. The Chesapeake Bay Commission, whose members introduced the legislation, estimates that the Fertilizer Use Act of 2011 will reduce phosphorus pollution from urban sources by 15% compared to 2009 levels. This equates to 20% of the phosphorus reduction Maryland needs to achieve its pollution reduction goals for the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. Read more...
- Maryland Farmers Plant Record Acreage of Cover Crops — Maryland farmers planted nearly 430,000 acres of cover crops in fall 2011 through the state’s Cover Crop Program, the largest planting in Maryland history, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA). The 2011 figure exceeds Maryland’s 2013 Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction milestone for cover crop plantings by 21 percent. Read more...
- MAST Raised in Maryland -- In early summer 2011, Maryland released its online scenario development and load estimator tool developed by the state to provide the local Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan teams with a functional tool that will estimate nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment loads for their jurisdiction based on the input of specific load reduction strategies (i.e. best management practices). Read more....
- Clean Bay Power Project to Reduce Bay Pollution — Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley recently announced that the state is seeking proposals for the purchase of electricity generated from animal waste as part of the Clean Bay Power project to promote the use of renewable energy, reduce Maryland's contribution to agricultural runoff in the Chesapeake Bay, and encourage job creation. Read more...
- Visit Maryland's website to learn more about their TMDL efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
- Contact Maryland's Watershed Implementation Plan Coordinators (PDF) (3pg, 133K).
Some links on this page lead to non-EPA sites. New York
Making Progress
Tioga River, Steuben County, NY photo credit Upper Susquehanna Coalition
Fertilizer Provision Effective Jan. 1 — A provision in New York’s Dishwasher Detergent and Nutrient Runoff Law will largely prohibit the use of phosphorus fertilizers for lawns and non-agricultural turf. The provision, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2012, contains exceptions for new lawns or when a test shows an existing lawn has too little phosphorus. It is part of the broader July 2010 law that prohibited the sale of newly-stocked, phosphorus-containing dishwasher detergents for household use. Less phosphorus used means less phosphorus in wastewater and stormwater runoff, which improves water quality, reduces water treatment costs, and provides better opportunities for recreational uses of waterbodies. Read more...
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- New York Restoring Wetlands on State Forest Lands — The Upper Susquehanna Coalition (USC) is using federal Recovery Act funds to restore wetlands on state lands in partnership with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation foresters. The program is currently targeting about 200 acres of wetlands dispersed through about 40,000 acres of state forest lands. The USC/DEC partnership is working to extend the project into a longer-term program. Read more...
- Action Plan to Focus on Sustainable Approaches —The Southern Tier Central Regional Planning & Development Board is developing a regional action plan for the Chemung and Susquehanna river basins for ecosystem-based watershed management. The Susquehanna-Chemung Action Plan is a sustainable approach to economic and community development that respects the natural functions of watersheds and minimizes flood risks. Read more...
- Visit New York's website to learn more about their TMDL efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
- Contact New York's Watershed Implementation Plan Coordinators (PDF) (3pg, 133K).
Some links on this page lead to non-EPA sites. Pennsylvania
Making Progress
Pennsylvania Waterways
Water Infrastructure Projects Announced — In July 2011, Governor Tom Corbett announced the investment of nearly $100 million in 27 non-point source, drinking water and wastewater projects. The awards, approved by PENNVEST, ranged from a $157,534 grant to construct a manure storage facility at a Lancaster County farm to reduce nutrient runoff into the Chesapeake Bay watershed; to a $20 million loan/grant combination to upgrade and expand a wastewater treatment facility in Schuylkill County, which also impacts the Bay watershed. The Governor announced a similar investment of $134 million in April 2011. Read more ...
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- Nutrient Credit Trading Program Progresses — Auctions in November 2011 for the sale and purchase of nutrient credits in the Susquehanna and Potomac watersheds reflect the latest steps in Pennsylvania’s nutrient credit trading program. The program is designed to provide cost-effective options for reducing pollution to local waters and the Chesapeake Bay. Read more...
- Manure Treatment Project Highlighted—An innovative manure treatment project on a Lancaster County farm will help reduce nutrient runoff into the Chesapeake Bay as part of Pennsylvania’s continuing efforts to improve the bay’s health, according to a July 2011 Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture press release. Kreider Farms, a 2,200-cow dairy in Mount Joy, Lancaster County, unveiled a micro-aerobic digestion project that provides on-farm treatment of manure. Read more...
- Visit Pennsylvania's website to learn more about their TMDL efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
- Contact Pennsylvania's Watershed Implementation Plan Coordinators (PDF) (3pg, 133K).
Some links on this page lead to non-EPA sites. Virginia
Making Progress
Agricultural Lands in Virginia
Governor Signs Environmental Stewardship Legislation -- Governor Bob McDonnell in August 2011 signed eight pieces of environmental stewardship legislation that will help Virginia’s agriculture industry grow and thrive while also enhancing water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and other Virginia watersheds. Read more ...
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- Virginia Providing Planning Assistance Grants — The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is making grant funding available in support of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Phase II planning efforts. Chesapeake Bay Watershed Model information and planning targets have been provided to localities in all planning district commission areas. The state funds can be used to review the model information, compare it with data on those best management practices (BMPs) that currently exist and to identify BMP implementation scenarios and local strategies to reduce pollutant loads. Funding is available to regional planning district commissions, soil and water conservation districts and local government entities throughout Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Read more...
- VAST Assistance Available —A new tool is available in Virginia to help localities and others plan strategies for meeting the Chesapeake Bay pollution diet. The Virginia Assessment and Scenario Tool (VAST) will assist in taking existing land use and best management practice data and developing local nutrient reduction scenarios. These scenarios will help inform Virginia’s Phase II Watershed Implementation Plans. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has made training available for those interested in using the VAST system. Read more...
- Visit Virginia's website to learn more about their TMDL efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
- Contact Virginia's Watershed Implementation Plan Coordinators (PDF) (3pg, 133K).
Some links on this page lead to non-EPA sites. West Virginia
Making Progress
Stormwater overflows in West Virginia
West Virginia Issues Model Stormwater Ordinance — West Virginia's Stormwater Strategy for the Potomac Basin outlined short-term objectives to build capacity for better stormwater management. Several of these were achieved in the spring of 2011, when a Model Stormwater Ordinance was released for consideration by local governments within West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle (Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties). Read more...
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- West Virginia to Fund Upgrades with Excess Lottery Funds — West Virginia will invest $6 million annually for 30 years toward wastewater treatment plant upgrades that will reduce nutrient pollution to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. The money, which will come from excess state lottery funds, will fund about $85 milliion in bonds that will help pay for upgrades. The funding will cover about 40 percent of the expected cost for the upgrades. The upgrades will help West Virginia meet new pollution-reduction goals that are part of the “pollution diet” for the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers. West Virginia has 13 wastewater facilities that need to be upgraded to meet nutrient limits. Facility upgrades have already begun in Charles Town, Shepherdstown and the Frankfort Public Service District. Read more...
- Initiative Helps Farms, Improves Water Quality — West Virginia’s Agriculture Enhancement Program is helping to increase farm productivity and improve water quality. The initiative, developed by the Eastern Panhandle Conservation District, provides tools for farmers to take actions that will boost farm productivity and sustainability and contribute to efforts to restore local streams and creeks and the Chesapeake Bay. The program offers technical and cost-share assistance as an incentive to implement selected best management practices. Read more...
- Visit West Virginia's website to learn more about their TMDL efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.
- Contact West Virginia's Watershed Implementation Plan Coordinators (PDF) (3pg, 133K).
