Chesapeake Bay TMDL

Regional Stakeholder Meeting Information

Homeowner's Guide to a Watershed Friendly Backyard

Chesapeake Bay Fact Sheet for General Public

Chesapeake Bay Fact Sheet for Local Government

Local Government Guide to the Chesapeake Bay - Education Modules for Decision-makers

What is the Chesapeake Bay TMDL?The Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is designed to ensure that all pollution control measures needed to restore the Bay and its tidal rivers are in place by 2025. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), despite extensive restoration efforts, the TMDL was prompted by insufficient progress and continued poor water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. The TMDL is required under the federal Clean Water Act and responds to consent decrees in Virginia and the District of Columbia from the late 1990s.

Each of the six Chesapeake Bay states and the District of Columbia are required to develop Watershed Implementation Plans (WIP) that detail how and when it will meet the pollution allocations. In Virginia, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), together with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation are tasked with developing the WIPs, three of which have been developed in 2010, 2012 and 2019. EPA assesses state progress in meeting pollution goals at interim 2-year milestones.

How do the local TMDLs relate to the Chesapeake Bay TMDL?The local TMDLs have been completed to address local water quality issues, while the Bay TMDL is being developed to address the larger Bay watershed. While some previously approved local TMDLs were based on reducing nutrients or sediment, most were written for other pollutants. In contrast, the Bay TMDL will be based on protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal waters from excessive nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment. For waters with both local and Bay TMDLs for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment, the more stringent TMDL will apply. In waters within the Bay watershed where TMDLs have been developed for other pollutants, those TMDLs will remain active alongside the Bay TMDL to address the nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment impairments.

RRRC’s Chesapeake Bay TMDL EffortsThe Regional Commission was contracted by DEQ to coordinate the Rappahannock-Rapidan region’s urban sector stakeholder input process for development of the Phase II and Phase III WIPs. This included topic areas such as stormwater management, septic systems, and urban forestry. For the Phase III WIPs, the Commission compiled lists of proposed Urban Best Management Practices, implementation strategies and resource needs to meet the region’s nitrogen reduction goal. DEQ then aggregated the regional information from each Planning District into a state level plan.

Following the region’s WIP III efforts, DEQ has contracted RRRC to provide coordination and technical assistance to local governments and other stakeholders in the region with urban sector implementation efforts. Please find upcoming meeting information and past meeting materials below.

For more information on RRRC’s regional WIP III efforts please contact Michelle Edwards at medwards@rrregion.org or 540-829-7450.

Previous Stakeholder Meetings & MaterialsLand Use & Environment Committee
August 15, 2019 | 10am | Regional Commission
Agenda
Minutes
Handout: RRRC Region Chesapeake Bay Project List

Chesapeake Bay WIP III Stakeholder Meeting
June 24, 2019 | 1pm | Regional Commission
Minutes
Handout: Chesapeake Bay TMDL Public Information Sheet
Handout: Chesapeake Bay Grants Overview Matrix
Handout: Regional Bay-Related Projects
Handout: Draft FY 2020 Scope of Work

Land Use & Environment Committee
May 16, 2019 | 10am | Regional Commission
Agenda
Minutes
Presentation: WIP Recap & Next Steps
Handout: Healthy Watershed Forest FAQ
Handout: RRRC WIP III BMP Data Breakout
Handout: Chesapeake Bay Grants Overview
Handout: Chesapeake Bay WIP Implementation Scope

Land Use & Environment Committee
February 21, 2019 | 10am | Regional Commission
Agenda
Minutes
Handout: Chesapeake Bay WIP Capacity Building

Combined Urban/Ag Sector Meeting
December 6, 2018 | 9am
American Legion Post 247 | Remington
*Note: This meeting includes PDCs 8, 9, 10 and SWCD Area 2 regions*

Chesapeake Bay WIP III Stakeholder Meeting
October 19, 2018 | 1pm
RRRC Offices (Map)
Agenda
Meeting Summary
Meeting Handouts

Chesapeake Bay WIP III Stakeholder Meeting
September 21, 2018 | 1pm
RRRC Offices (Map)
Agenda
Meeting Summary
Meeting Handouts

Chesapeake Bay WIP III Stakeholder Meeting
August 17, 2018 | 1pm
Culpeper County Library (Map)
Agenda
Meeting Summary
Handout: Responses to July Meeting Questions from DEQ
Handout: Virginia Model Delivery Factors & Loads
Handout: Urban BMPs Not in WIP II
Handout: Septic Repair Data from VDH
Handout: Land Policy BMP Summary Information
Spreadsheet: County & Region Land Policy BMP Data
Spreadsheet: Region WIP III Workbook from CAST

Chesapeake Bay WIP III Stakeholder Meeting
July 13, 2018 | 1pm
Culpeper County Library (Map)
Agenda
Meeting Summary
Presentation: WIP Phase III Regional Process Overview

Additional Information

Rappahannock-Rapidan Region WIP III - Urban BMP Input Deck
Rappahannock-Rapidan Region WIP III - Proposed Urban Programmatic Actions and Resource Needs
DEQ Chesapeake Bay TMDL Phase III WIP Webpage
DEQ Chesapeake Bay TMDL Resources and Tools Webpage