PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released evaluations of the restoration efforts put forth by the six Chesapeake Bay states and the District of Columbia to restore the bay.
In the evaluation, the EPA took stock of where Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia stand in the reduction of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution to local waters and the bay.
“While we are seeing solid progress across every sector, we also recognize that not all sectors in each of the jurisdictions are where they need to be in order to meet bay water quality goals,” said EPA regional administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “EPA will continue working with the jurisdictions to offer assistance while also providing closer oversight where necessary to ensure the pollution reduction commitments will be met.”
The Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (Bay TMDL) was created in 2010 and calls for all necessary pollution control measures to be put in place by 2025. The TMDL mandated a 60 percent goal be reached by 2017.
The evaluations show the states are likely to meet the 60 percent threshold for reducing phosphorous and sediment but not nitrogen.