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PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Planning Committee Discusses Preliminary Pollution Reduction Targets PA Must Meet
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The PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Planning Steering Committee Friday heard a series of presentations that outline some possible options for meeting the preliminary nutrient and sediment reduction targets Pennsylvania has been given by the Chesapeake Bay Program. The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan Pennsylvania must develop needs to achieve these draft target reductions-- 36.37 million pounds of nitrogen and 867,000 pounds of phosphorus delivered to the Bay by 2025. A sediment reduction number will be calculated based on the final nitrogen and phosphorus reduction practices included in the Plan. A Sector Growth factor must also be included in the Plans and for Pennsylvania that means an additional reduction of 1.38 million pounds of nitrogen and 34,000 pounds of phosphorus. A Climate Change consideration is also being discussed by the Chesapeake Bay Program which may mean a reduction of another 4.135 million pounds of nitrogen and 141,000 pounds of phosphorus. But these numbers are more theoretical at this point because more research will be done over the next two years to better understand what impact climate change may have. A separate nutrient reduction plan will need to be developed to reduce nutrients for Pennsylvania’s share of the Conowingo Dam obligations-- 4.56 million pounds of nitrogen, 177,000 pounds of phosphorus-- although these numbers are still being negotiated. Pennsylvania’s total remaining obligations, if all these factors are included, are potential reductions of 46.445 million pounds of nitrogen, 1.15 million pounds of phosphorus a speculative sediment reduction number that could run as high as 1.4 billion pounds. By way of comparison, in the 31 years from 1985 to 2016, Pennsylvania was able to achieve reductions of 15 million pounds of nitrogen, 2.445 million pounds of phosphorus and 1.1 billion pounds of sediments delivered to the Bay. The reason these numbers seem so daunting now is, for the last decade Pennsylvania has consistently missed its nitrogen and sediment reduction targets because the state has significantly cut or diverted funding from programs that would have helped the Commonwealth meets its Chesapeake Bay and local water quality cleanup obligations. A presentation by Workgroup Co-Chairs and Matt Johnston, University of Maryland - EPA Chesapeake Bay Office, providing the Steering Committee with an overview of what the impact of using different best management practices and compliance strategies would have on the reductions Pennsylvania needs to achieve. The basic purpose of the presentation was to test drive certain strategies for achieving reductions in the agriculture, wastewater, stormwater and forestry sectors to see what the result would be. The numbers that resulted are far from the beginnings of a strategy, but give the Workgroups and the Steering Committee points of reference. This presentation and a presentation by Johnston last September on targeting geographic areas with cost-effective pollution reduction measures will need to be refined through much more discussion and public input. Click Here for available handouts from Friday’s meeting. Future meetings of the Steering Committee are scheduled for May 17, July 10, September 10, October 24 and December 17. For more information, visit DEP’s PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Planning Steering Committee webpage. Related Stories: Bay Journal: Plain Sect, Amish Farmers Becoming More Involved In Conservation Penn State Extension: Online Course On Writing Manure Management Plans Available 24/7 NewsClips: Bay Journal: How Close To Perfect Must Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Be To Achieve Goal? McKelvey: Capital Region Water Plans $315M In Upgrades Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal Click Here to subscribe to the free Chesapeake Bay Journal Click Here to support the Chesapeake Bay Journal Follow Chesapeake Bay Journal On Twitter Like Chesapeake Bay Journal On Facebook [Posted: March 16, 2018] |
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3/19/2018 |
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