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Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

  • Key Developments

    See Key Developments

    EPA Issues Updated Report on Pennsylvania’s Animal Agriculture Programs

    EPA evaluates PA's Final Amended Phase III WIP

    EPA evaluates Two-year Milestone progress and commitments

  • Ensuring Results

    A number of elements are in place to ensure implementation of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL.

  • Learn about the Chesapeake

    Watch educational videosExit
    put together by our partners
    at the Chesapeake Bay Program

    • Monitoring and Modeling the Chesapeake BayExit
    • Have a Question?

      View our Frequent Questions or Contact Us.

    EPA Evaluates Pennsylvania’s Final Amended Phase III WIP

    EPA released its evaluation of Pennsylvania’s final amended Phase III WIP.

    Read EPA’s evaluation of PA’s Final Amended WIP 

    Read the Press Release

    What is the Bay TMDL?

    What is the Bay TMDL?

    On December 29, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The TMDL is a historic and comprehensive "pollution diet" to restore clean water in the Chesapeake Bay and the region's streams, creeks, and rivers.

    • Bay TMDL Document
    • Bay TMDL Fact Sheet
    • Bay TMDL Development
    • Frequent Questions
    Brook Trout in Pendleton County WV

    Implementing the TMDL

    A number of elements are in place to ensure that all pollution control measures needed to fully restore the Bay and its tidal rivers are in place by 2025. Practices will also be in place by 2017 to meet 60 percent of the necessary pollution reductions.

    • Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs)
    • Milestones
    • Air Pollution Reductions
    • Wastewater Pollution Reductions
    • Trading and Offsets
    • Midpoint Assessment
    Basket of Chesapeake Bay Oysters

    Progress in the Watershed

    Actions are being taken across six states and the District of Columbia to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment loads to meet the clean water goals of the Bay TMDL.

    • EPA Oversight
      • WIPs and Milestones
      • Sector-Specific
    • Key Developments
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    • Watershed Happenings

    Watershed Map

    Map of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
    The Chesapeake Bay Watershed spans six states and the District of Columbia. 

    Connect with the Bay

    • Read the Bay Journal
    • Watch educational videos about the Bay on the Chesapeake Bay Program website
    • Follow the Bay Program on Twitter
    • Like the Bay Program on Facebook

    Additional Resources

    • Funding Opportunities
    • Correspondence and Guides
    • Technical Support Documents
    • Federal Register Notices
    • Executive Order 13508
    • Bay Watershed Agreement
    • Contact Us
    Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
    Last updated on January 4, 2023
    United States Environmental Protection Agency

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