Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster) and members of the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy Task Force met with state and federal environmental officials this week to discuss cleanup goals for the Chesapeake Bay.

 

"I am thankful that state and federal government officials are taking the time to address our concerns and consider our suggestions about cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, and I look forward to continuing to work with these agencies and the Task Force to improve the health and vitality of these waterways," Sen. Brubaker said.

 

The EPA recently announced that more frequent evaluation periods would be established for pollution reduction, changing from 10-year assessments to two-year assessments. The Chesapeake Bay Commission will seek to reduce nitrogen pollution by 7.3 million pounds and phosphorus pollution by 300,000 pounds by the end of the first assessment period in 2011.

 

The DEP and EPA will hold a series of public meetings throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed area this fall to draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) limits on pollution. The EPA and DEP will begin working on a new implementation plan to help meet these goals, and the agencies expect to have a draft of the TMDL requirements this spring.

 

As a result of the meeting, the EPA also agreed to develop a new cleanup model that recognizes the impact of legacy sediment, the thick layers of sediment that resulted from past land use and dams.

"Legacy sediment is a major contributor to pollution in the Bay and should be an important factor in dealing with cleanup efforts," Brubaker said.

 

Sen. Brubaker met with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Water Protection Division Associate Director Bob Koroncai, Department of Environmental Protection Chesapeake Bay Program Coordinator Patricia Buckley, DEP Water Planning Office Acting Director Andy Zemba and DEP Program Analyst Ann Smith to discuss Lancaster County's role in reducing the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment that pollutes the Chesapeake Bay.