The Chesapeake Bay TMDL

At the July meeting of the Potomac Watershed Roundtable held in Westmoreland State Park, Ann Jennings, the Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia DEQ gave the group an update on the Chesapeake Bay TMDL and the process for development of the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP). Ann was the former Chesapeake Bay Commission Virginia Director and a long time advocate for the Chesapeake Bay.

Virginia has begun development of the Phase III WIP to meet the water quality standards mandated for the Chesapeake Bay by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This summer, Ann is appearing everywhere trying to reach out to all stakeholders. In addition other organizations are doing the same trying to reach and get input from local elected officials and groups to facilitate discussions about the challenges, successes (so far), and opportunities communities across Virginia face in protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary waterways. The idea is to foster a better understanding of the connection between local issues and priorities and the state's obligation and commitments to meeting the total Maximum Daily Load, TMDL.

The Chesapeake Bay TMDL focuses on reducing nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment, and is designed to ensure that all pollution control measures necessary to fully restore the Bay and its tidal rivers are in place by 2025. Each county of Virginia must meet its individual mandated reductions in the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution. The impact on the TMDL needs to become part of every discussion and decision within a locality.

During the development of the Phase III WIP, communities are looking to get more financial incentives and support from the state to guide and bolster implementation. A key goal for Phase III WIP is to create local strategies rather than focusing on statewide goals. We need to expand and increase the financial investment for and scope of cost-share programs that are operated in Virginia to reduce non-point source pollution. Overall in its final phase, connecting the WIP to local water quality is critically important.

Last year when we reached the mid-point in the pollution reduction plan, the EPA assessed our progress toward meeting the mandated nutrient and sediment pollutant load reductions. Using the Chesapeake Bay model, this midpoint assessment measured the state’s progress towards meeting the 2017 goal of having practices in place to achieve 60% of the pollution reductions from the 2009 levels.

The intent of the midpoint assessment was to allow us to make changes in our state programs and plans and develop the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) that will allow us to meet the 2025 Chesapeake Bay restoration goals. For Virginia the EPA / the Chesapeake Bay Program recommended that we target stormwater and agriculture for additional reductions to meet the 2025 goals.

In Virginia EPA recommend increased funding to the Virginia Agriculture Cost Share program (VACS) and the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP). These are cost-share programs that provide financial incentives for property owners to implement practices that reduce runoff of sediment and nutrient pollution on agricultural properties (VACS) and urban properties (VCAP).

According to Ms Jennings, Governor Northam is committed to a cleanup plan that meets the goal. So far, 84% of the reductions Virginia has achieved in these pollutants so far have come from improvements to our waste water treatment plants and 16% have come from our agriculture programs. Going forward the reductions in pollutants will have to come from a diverse list of sources. To meet its mandate TMDL targets Virginia needs to get 22% of the reductions from natural areas (forests and woodlands), 34% from agriculture, 22% from waste water treatment including septic, and 18% from stormwater in developed areas. In addition, impacts from climate change are now accounted for in the Chesapeake Bay model and the Coniwingo Dam will have its own WIP III goals.

Our local communities with help from state programs will have to determine how we are going to meet the pollution reduction goals. These goals will require lots of small actions by many stakeholders and homeowners, this is the hardest part of the TMDL. Planting of forest buffers, reducing runoff by using less fertilizer on lawns, golf courses and in agriculture, expanding stormwater management to slow rain water, increasing septic pump out frequency, expanding the reach and scope of the agricultural and urban best management practices and more. Implementation of these programs will take funding, not only for the programs and tracking to measure our success, but also for the outreach and education of the community. Everyone is going to need to participate for us to be successful.