Restore Water Quality

Achieve and maintain the water quality necessary to support the aquatic living resources of the Bay and its tributaries and to protect human health.

The Chesapeake 2000 agreement set the following objective: “By 2010, correct nutrient- and sediment-related problems in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries sufficiently to remove the Bay and tidal portion of tributaries from the list of impaired waters under the Clean Water Act.”

Chesapeake Bay water quality standards, adopted into state regulations in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia in the last several years, define the water quality conditions necessary to support rockfish, crabs, oysters, underwater Bay grasses and other aquatic organisms found in the Bay’s tidal waters.  The partners used a combination of scientific research findings, long term monitoring results and computer model simulations to determine what level of reductions in nutrient and sediment pollutants were necessary to meet these water quality standard regulations.

These nutrient and sediment pollutants emanate from a series of pollution source sectors. Strategies in this plan are prioritized into the sectors where they can produce the most cost-effective and greatest nutrient and sediment reductions: agricultural lands and wastewater treatment plants. As a focus area, the CBP partnership is relying on these two source “sectors” to achieve about 80% of the nutrient reductions necessary to restore the Bay while providing additional benefits of reducing the loads of chemicals. With permitting of all the significant wastewater discharging facilities well underway and upgraded treatment systems coming on-line, reaching the parallel set of reduction goals for agricultural lands by working with farmers and producers is a major focus of the partnership.

In addition, partners are working to: control loads of nutrients, sediments, and chemical contaminants that originate from developed lands by using regulatory and voluntary strategies; reduce nitrogen loads from on-site and septic systems; reduce nutrient and sediment loads into streams by expanding forest buffers; control streambed and shoreline sediment sources; manage air pollution emissions that generate airborne nitrogen deposits; and reduce acid mine drainage impact on streams.

All of these core actions needed to improve water quality conditions have been identified, but may be modified in the future based

on improved monitoring, assessment of the effectiveness of management actions, and potential influences of climate change and variability. Desired results are described
below.

Reduced Loads from Municipal and Industrial Wastewater

Discharges from 483 significant municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities represent more than 95% of the total flow from all treatment facilities in the Bay watershed, and currently contribute 20% of the nitrogen and 22% of the phosphorus loads entering the Chesapeake Bay.

CBP's priority is to fully implement the basinwide National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting approach that calls for permit limits on annual nutrient loads from these 483 facilities. Load reductions will be achieved through constructing nutrient reduction technology upgrades and implementing nutrient trading programs. A related priority is to provide treatment facility operators with information on how to reduce releases of certain chemicals from wastewater facilities while implementing their treatment technology upgrades.

Strategies for achieving this desired result include: issuing new annual nitrogen and phosphorus cap load limits in the NPDES permit for each respective significant municipal or industrial wastewater treatment facility by 2010 during the five-year permit renewal cycle starting in August 2005; funding the necessary facility-specific nutrient reduction technology upgrades or undertaking nutrient credit exchanges to achieve and maintain the facility-specific permitted limits; determining the schedule for individual treatment facility upgrades (through 2030) for each of the 483 significant facilities; and quantifying the loading contributions from non-significant facilities, then proceeding to cap their loads into the future.

Reduced Loads from Agricultural Lands and Animal Operations

The six Chesapeake Bay watershed states are calling for getting two-thirds of the nutrient reductions needed to restore Bay water quality from the agricultural sector. This sector contributes over 42% of the nitrogen, 47% of the phosphorus and 76% of the sediment loads to the Bay.

Partners will work to reduce loads from agricultural lands and animal operations, implementing conservation practices on 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands. The partners will prioritize implementation of conservation practices in those watersheds where agricultural nutrient and sediment reductions can make a significant contribution to restoring valuable Chesapeake Bay living resources. Emphasis will also be placed on accelerating implementation of the most cost-effective conservation practices that will result in the greatest nutrient and sediment reductions, while not contributing increased pesticide loadings.

Strategies for achieving this desired result include: setting priorities for specific practices in watersheds where reductions can make a significant contribution to restoring water quality; accelerating implementation of the most cost-effective conservation practices that produce the greatest nutrient reductions; pursuing sustainable nutrient and sediment reductions such as animal feed and diet management, enhanced nutrient management, and development of niche markets for products that are produced in a Bay-friendly way; continuing expanded implementation of the Strategy for Managing Surplus Nutrients from Agricultural Animal Manure and Poultry Litter in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed; coordinating major federal funding programs to focus efforts in priority watershed areas; seeking long-term and consistent funding for state agricultural incentive programs; and engaging the corporate sector in defining how agricultural products are produced, backed up with third party verification and direct economic consequences for the producer.

Reduced Loads from Developed Lands

Developed lands contribute nutrients (16% of the nitrogen, and 32% of the phosphorus) as well as 24% of the sediment loads to the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Program partnership seeks to: (1) reduce and then cap nutrient and sediment loads from developed lands at 44.3 million pounds of nitrogen, 3.7 million pounds of phosphorus, and 0.6 million tons of sediment; and (2) ultimately achieve “no net increase” in nutrient and sediment loads from developing lands.

Strategies for achieving reductions on developed lands include: controlling storm water from existing development with no or failing storm water management (through a combination of regulatory programs and redevelopment projects); and evaluating federal, state, and local storm water regulations and programs to strengthen the links between these programs and local/regional water quality goals.
Significantly, loads from developing lands represent a growing source sector. Strategies for controlling loads from developing lands are detailed within Goal 4.

Reduced Loads from Onsite and Septic Systems

Relative contributions from onsite and septic systems will continue to grow due to reductions in other sources and an overall expansion in the numbers of systems installed. With a cap on loads being put in place for hundreds of significant municipal wastewater treatment facilities, many local and state agencies are concerned about the potential for developers and homeowners to turn to installation of septic systems or onsite treatment systems for small groups of homes as local municipal treatment facilities reach their caps on loads.

Strategies for achieving this desired result include: getting a better understanding of existing local requirements and restrictions governing installation and maintenance of these treatment systems, and providing mandates and incentives for installation of new systems with denitrification capabilities.

Reduced Loads from Streamside and Tidal Shoreline Riparian Areas

Storm events carry nutrients and sediment across the land areas along streams and shorelines and into water bodies. Restoring and conserving forest buffers along streams and shorelines significantly reduces these nutrient and sediment flows, while also providing other habitat benefits.

Chesapeake Bay Program partners seek to expand riparian forest buffers, particularly in those areas of highest value to restoring or protecting water quality. Strategies for expanding riparian forest buffers include: targeting riparian buffer restoration towards those areas that will give the best water quality benefits and are most vulnerable to loss from development; and increasing incentives to plant and maintain riparian forest buffers.

Strategies for conserving existing forest buffers are detailed in Goal 4.

Reduced Sediment Loads from Streambanks and Tidal Shorelines

In 2003, the Chesapeake Bay Program partners agreed to a basinwide cap on sediment loads of 4.15 million tons from the current estimated 5.83 million tons per year. Achieving this goal will help improve Bay water clarity and assist in the restoration of 185,000 acres of SAV.

The long transport times of sediment from the watershed to the estuary, and the multiple sources of sediment to the estuary, have implications for targeting management actions to improve water clarity. In general, sediment reduction to improve conditions in the estuary should be focused at sources that are closest to tidal waters or deliver the finest sediments. The partners are currently focusing sediment reduction strategies on implementing non-point source best management practices, such as agricultural cover crops and states’ erosion and sediment control programs in the upland/watershed areas, as part of achieving the needed phosphorus load reductions. In the tidal areas, the focus is on establishing living shorelines and SAV plantings. However, a better understanding of the sources of sediment is needed for the partners to further target implementation actions.

Strategies for achieving this desired result include: identifying watersheds and associated streams with high sediment delivery potential to tidal waters and targeting them for sediment reduction and stream restoration actions; improving scientific understanding and modeling tools necessary to refine sediment reduction targets and better focus management approaches at areas that significantly contribute to water clarity and SAV degradation; piloting a Regional Sediment Management approach within the Chesapeake Bay watershed; and targeting implementation of “living shorelines.”

Reduced Loads from Air Emissions

The Chesapeake Bay watershed receives nitrogen compounds via air deposition from an airshed of 570,000 square miles encompassing 17 states. Atmospheric deposition is estimated to contribute 22% of the nitrogen load delivered to the Bay.

Additional air pollution controls are expected for meeting human health-based air quality standards, and the states are revising their federally-approved State Implementation Plans accordingly. CBP partners determined that implementation of such regulations would achieve nitrogen reductions of about 15 million pounds annually by 2010.

Strategies for achieving this desired result include: fully implementing the federal Clean Air Interstate Rule and state air regulatory programs required to meet air quality standards; completing research on practices to reduce agricultural ammonia emissions from animal operations; developing new management practice definitions and efficiencies for agricultural ammonia emissions from animal operations; and incorporating new management practices into the states’ tributary strategies along with establishing the necessary cost share and technical support delivery systems for their widespread implementation.
In addition, implementation of land management practices (e.g., forest buffer restoration, stormwater management using natural systems, agricultural conservation practices) reduces the transfer of atmospheric nitrogen from land to water bodies. These practices are addressed in other sections of this strategic framework.

Reduced Acid Mine Drainage Impacts on Stream Nutrient Cycling

There is a growing body of scientific evidence that supports the conclusion that a healthy stream—one with abundant, balanced aquatic life—can actively remove nitrogen and assist with needed downstream nutrient reductions. A healthy stream's aquatic life, usually in the form of attached benthic algae, can uptake excess nitrogen. These algae, in turn, would either be consumed within the stream's food web and be retained in the local stream's biological community, or decomposing algal nitrogen would undergo the natural process of denitrification and be released as gas back to the atmosphere.

Strategies for achieving this desired result include: supporting the ongoing research efforts to better quantify the nutrient reduction benefits of restoring streams impacted by acid mine drainage into ecologically healthy streams; and using that information to both credit and geographically target such stream restoration efforts for multiple local and downstream benefits.

Reduced Chemical Contaminant Loads

Currently less than 33% of the monitored tidal waters contain no impairment for chemical contaminants. Of the more than 67% with chemical impairments, nearly all (95%) identify PCBs as the source.

Additionally, the health of fish in the Bay and nontidal rivers is adversely impacted by chemical contaminants. Many of the same wastewater treatment and non-point source reduction actions that are needed for nutrients and sediments apply to reducing chemical contaminants because they share many of the same sources and conveyance mechanisms (i.e., stormwater runoff, wastewater discharge, and atmospheric deposition).

Strategies for achieving this desired result include: identifying management actions that will provide concurrent reduction of nutrients, sediment, and chemical contaminants to the estuary and in the watershed; and identifying the priority areas where management actions will have the greatest benefit for improving water quality conditions for living resources in the estuary and fish populations in the watershed.