Pennsylvania has 641 days to put the best management practices on the ground needed to eliminate 10 million pounds of nitrogen and 212 million pounds of sediment from going into our rivers and streams to meet the 2017 Chesapeake Bay cleanup milestones.

Simple math shows Pennsylvania will not have a chance to meet those milestones with the current level of effort to improve water quality.

Last June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported Pennsylvania exceeded its 2013 Chesapeake Bay cleanup milestone for phosphorus by 242,000 pounds, but fell short in meeting the nitrogen goal by 2 million pounds and sediment reduction milestone by nearly 116 million pounds.

If Pennsylvania does not meet the 2017 milestones, EPA has the authority to impose additional reduction requirements directly on wastewater treatment plants and set additional controls on farmland and stormwater runoff.

For more information, visit the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint webpage.

Related Article:

Analysis: PA Environmental Funding: Eat Your Vegetables, Then You’ll Get Dessert

3/30/2015