Maryland's Draft Phase I Watershed Implementation Plan - Now Available
State Phase I Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) for the Chesapeake Bay TMDL were due
yesterday, September 1, to EPA for its review and approval. Some states did not meet that deadline, but all WIPs should be done within the next few days and forwarded to EPA. The WIPs will be available on this website. As of today, the WIPs that are available on the website are for Delaware; Washington, DC; West Virginia; Pennsylvania; New York; and Maryland. I've linked to Maryland’s DRAFT WIP via the "Useful Links" section (below). Virginia has notified EPA that it will have its WIP done by end of this week.
Maryland's draft Plan was developed by the Maryland Departments of the Environment, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Planning, using the State’s BayStat process, to comply with the new EPA Chesapeake Bay Total Daily Maximum Load (TMDL) requirements due by the end of this year. The agencies are now seeking public comment and input on the draft Plan and will hold four regional meetings over the next five weeks.
Useful Links:
- Maryland's Draft Phase I WIP - Executive Summary
- Maryland's Draft Phase I WIP
- Transmittal Letter to EPA
- Public Meetings - Save the Dates
The WIPs are to be finalized in November of this year and will be a part of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL package to be published on September 24, 2010.
