In late September, the U.S. EPA released a draft Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) -- a mandatory “pollution diet” designed to restore the Chesapeake Bay and its vast network of streams, creeks and rivers.
The draft TMDL -- which EPA is legally required to produce –calls for 25 percent reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus and at least a 16 percent reduction in sediment to achieve a healthy Bay and local rivers.
EPA will now work with federal partners like the Department of Agriculture, to assist Bay watershed states and the District of Columbia as they revise and strengthen the implementation plans before final versions are due November 29.
The Draft TMDL which contains evaluations of the plans and EPA adjustments for all seven jurisdictions can be found at www.epa.gov/chesapeakebaytmdl.
The release of the draft TMDL begins a 45-day public comment period that will include 18 public meetings in all six watershed states (Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia. A full public meeting schedule, including registration links for online broadcast is available on the Bay TMDL website. The web site also provides instructions for accessing the draft TMDL and providing formal comments.
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