Chesapeake Bay Program Urban Stormwater Workgroup
The Chesapeake Stormwater Network serves as the Stormwater Technical Coordinator for the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP). In this role, CSN facilitates urban Best Management Practice (BMP) review panels—known as “expert panels”—that establish pollutant removal rates for urban BMPs used to meet Chesapeake Bay TMDL requirements.
The Bay TMDL
Total Maximum Daily load, or TMDL, is the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards. The Chesapeake Bay TMDL was established by the EPA in 2010 after recognition that voluntary agreements were insufficient to restore the health of the Bay. The Chesapeake Bay TMDL was also the largest TMDL ever developed in the United States.
The Chesapeake Bay TMDL set yearly pollution limits for:
It allocated these limits among the six watershed states and DC. Each jurisdiction created a Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) to demonstrate how they would achieve their goals and reductions.
The original plan called for goals to be met by 2025. Currently, the EPA and Chesapeake Bay Program are working “Beyond 2025,” developing a new set of goals and regulatory agreements to set future water quality and quantity targets.
Overall, 59% of required nitrogen reductions, 92% of required phosphorus reductions, and 100% of required sediment have been achieved compared to 2009. However, these reductions have not been met equally across the jurisdictions.
Though the goals set in 2010 were not accomplished in full, there have been many overall positives to come out of the work that states are doing. States such as Maryland and Virginia have invested heavily in upgrading their wastewater treatment plants. There is a larger focus on co-benefits, such as habitat restoration and flood resilience, highlighting the wholistic nature of stormwater management. In addition, the 2010 TMDL did not fully account for the effects of climate change, which are now being incorporated more comprehensively.
Finally, states have also become more willing to engage with communities, better understanding the importance of citizen science, stewardship, and environmental justice.
Get Involved
The Urban Stormwater Workgroup facilitates the implementation of stormwater controls and supports state and local stormwater initiatives and hosts monthly meetings for members.