Opinion- New Approaches, Resources Needed To Protect Streams, Chesapeake Bay And Farms

There is no doubt the Chesapeake Bay TMDL being developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce millions of pounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution will be a significant challenge for Pennsylvania farmers. But it also shows the way to cleaning up thousands of miles of our own streams here in the Commonwealth.

It is understandable why Carl Shaffer, president of the Farm Bureau, would express concerns about EPA’s plans to require a TMDL for the entire bay watershed including Pennsylvania. Producers wonder what this means for their farms at a time of unsustainably low milk, hog and other commodity prices. Dairy farmers are in crisis.

Even in the best of times, farmers are hard pressed to afford all the needed conservation measures. Thus, the PFB, working in partnership with groups like Chesapeake Bay Foundation, helped win legislation creating the Pennsylvania Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program that provides tax credits for agricultural conservation.

Together we also secured additional funds in the Farm Bill, most significantly USDA’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative that’s now offering millions of dollars in additional financial assistance to producers to install soil and water quality practices. These and other efforts have brought roughly $200 million in additional conservation dollars to farmers in the Bay region in recent years.

Despite the financial challenges, thousands of Pennsylvania farmers have already accomplished much in improving water quality in local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. For example, a cleaner Lititz Run in Lancaster County now supports a thriving trout population following rural and urban water quality improvements.

Good farm management combined with water, nutrient and sediment control practices on farms have cut Pennsylvania’s nitrogen load to the bay by roughly 20 million pounds per year compared to 1985. Although much more progress is needed — from farms, wastewater plants, stormwater systems, suburban lawns, and many other sectors — this does not discount the hard work that’s already done.

But much work remains, and current approaches to saving the bay and its many tributaries are not working as well as we need. Local, state and federal governments are required to restore the health of polluted waterways, including local streams, and our collective failure to meet yet another Bay cleanup deadline now triggers additional measures everyone knew were coming.

What does this mean for the farm community? In the short run, we believe the majority of Pennsylvania farmers will not face new regulations, but greater enforcement of existing regulations. Compliance by all farmers with basic requirements — especially erosion control regulations in place since 1972 and manure management standards that apply to all farms with animals — will certainly result in cleaner water and bring new farmers into the effort. Widespread compliance with existing regulations may in fact go a long way to achieving agriculture’s part of the TMDL in Pennsylvania.

The TMDL will more directly involve every citizen, business and local government in the effort. All sectors and regions will be assigned pollution reduction requirements so that everyone carries a fair share of the load. For far too long, too many non-farmers have incorrectly thought of the bay as “the farmers’ problem.” The TMDL is a rational way to bring everyone on board including stormwater and wastewater treatment systems.

Of course greater accountability without additional resources would make the new mandate exceedingly difficult. Thus, CBF supports the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act of 2009, which would secure much more funding. This bill provides $2.125 billion to help make necessary water quality improvements, and specifies that at least $96 million will provide technical assistance for agricultural producers.

Cleaner streams at home, a restored Chesapeake, and thriving farms and communities are within our reach. Please visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation website to see how you can help.

Lamonte Garber is Pennsylvania agriculture program manager with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.