Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation

259 Pages·2011·5.85 MB·English

by  National Research Council, Committee on the Evaluation of Chesapeake Bay Program Implementation for Nutrient Reduction to Improve Water Quality

Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the
Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and
Implementation
Committee on the Evaluation of Chesapeake Bay Program Implementation
for Nutrient Reduction to Improve Water Quality; National Research
Council
Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
ACHIEVING NUTRIENT AND SEDIMENT REDUCTION GOALS
IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
Committee on the Evaluation of Chesapeake Bay Program Implementation
for Nutrient Reduction to Improve Water Quality
Water Science and Technology Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
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Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
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Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
BAY PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION FOR NUTRIENT
REDUCTION TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY
KENNETH H. RECKHOW, Chair, RTI International, Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina
PATRICIA E. NORRIS, Vice Chair, Michigan State University, East
Lansing
RICHARD J. BUDELL, Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services, Tallahassee
DOMINIC M. DI TORO, University of Delaware, Newark
JAMES N. GALLOWAY, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
HOLLY GREENING, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, St. Petersburg,
Florida
ANDREW N. SHARPLEY, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
ADEL SHIRMOHAMMADI, University of Maryland, College Park
PAUL E. STACEY, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve,
Durham, New Hampshire*
NRC Staff
STEPHANIE E. JOHNSON, Study Director, Water Science and
Technology Board
MICHAEL J. STOEVER, Research Associate, Water Science and
Technology Board
* Formerly the director of Planning and Standards, Bureau of Water Protection and Land
Reuse, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.
v
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
Preface
he Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), a partnership among the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, the six watershed states, and the
TDistrict of Columbia, is working at federal, state, and local levels to
restore the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. In 1987, the CBP partners commit-
ted to reduce “controllable” phosphorus and nitrogen loadings to the Bay’s
main stem by 40 percent by 2000. The CBP’s initial goals were modifed
in 1992, which led to a variety of actions directed at point and nonpoint
sources of nutrient and sediment loading to the tributaries of the Bay.
Unfortunately, progress has been limited and the nutrient and sediment
reduction goals have not yet been attained.
During the years since the 1987 agreement, water pollution manage-
ment under the Clean Water Act (CWA) shifted toward more quantitative
assessments of water quality impairments. The CWA requires states and
tribes to identify and maintain lists of water bodies that do not meet water
quality standards and to develop total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) that
the water bodies can receive and still comply with water quality standards.
In 2000, the CBP partners signed an agreement that provided an alterna-
tive to developing a TMDL based on the expectation that actions would
be taken that would result in the attainment of water quality standards
within a 10-year period of time. However, a reevaluation in 2007 of nutri-
ent and sediment target loads revealed that insuffcient progress had been
made toward improving water quality and meeting the intent of the 2000
agreement was unlikely. In response, the CBP and the federal govern-
ment launched a new era of accountability, accompanied by more aggres-
sive approaches to controlling nutrient and sediment pollution in the Bay
vii
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
viii PREFACE
watershed, including the development of a TMDL for the Bay, watershed
implementation plans, and a two-year milestone strategy (described in more
detail in Chapter 1).
In 2009, the EPA requested that the National Research Council (NRC)
evaluate and provide advice on the CBP nutrient reduction program and
strategy. The EPA specifcally directed the NRC to evaluate the tracking of
best management practice implementation, tracking and accounting efforts,
the two-year milestone strategy, and the states’ and federal agencies’ adap-
tive management strategies, and to suggest improvements to these strategies
that might better attain the CBP goals (see Box S-1). The committee has
not been charged to review the TMDL or the models used to develop it.
To carry out this work, the NRC appointed a multidisciplinary committee
of experts to provide advice to the EPA, the six states in the Chesapeake
Bay watershed, the District of Columbia, other federal agencies, and other
interested parties.
Our committee is indebted to many individuals for their contributions
of information and resources. Specifcally, we appreciate the efforts of our
committee’s EPA technical liaisons—Julie Winters and Rich Batiuk—who
assisted the committee with numerous requests for information and with
utilizing the vast resources of agency expertise when needed. The committee
also owes a debt of gratitude to the many individuals who educated our
committee through their presentations at the open sessions of the commit-
tee’s meetings.
The committee has been fortunate to have the support and collabora-
tion of an excellent NRC staff. Stephanie Johnson, study director, has been
an extraordinary source of information and advice and has contributed sig-
nifcantly to this report. Michael Stoever, research associate, has provided
superb support during and between meetings and has also been instrumen-
tal in producing the report. I speak for the entire committee in expressing
our profound respect and gratitude.
This report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their
breadth of perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with the pro-
cedures approved by the National Academies’ Report Review Committee.
The purpose of this independent review was to provide candid and critical
comments to assist the institution in ensuring that its published report is sci-
entifcally credible and that it meets institutional standards for objectivity,
evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The reviewer comments
and draft manuscript remain confdential to protect the deliberative process.
We thank the following reviewers for their helpful suggestions, all of which
were considered and many of which were wholly or partly incorporated into
the fnal report: Donald F. Boesch, University of Maryland; Mark B. David,
University of Illinois; Theo A. Dillaha, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University; Joseph H. Harrison, Washington State University; Carlton
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation
PREFACE ix
H. Hershner, Jr., Virginia Institute of Marine Science; David H. Moreau,
University of North Carolina; Sujoy B. Roy, Tetra Tech Inc.; Thomas R.
Schueler, Center for Watershed Protection; Kathleen Segerson, University of
Connecticut; and Thomas W. Simpson, Water Stewardship Inc.
Although these reviewers provided many constructive comments and
suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions and recom-
mendations nor did they see the fnal draft of the report before its release.
The review of this report was overseen by David A. Dzombak, Carnegie
Melon University, and Ken W. Potter, University of Wisconsin. Appointed
by the NRC, they were responsible for making certain that an independent
examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institu-
tional procedures and that all review comments received full consideration.
Responsibility for the fnal content of this report rests entirely with the
authoring committee and the NRC.
Kenneth H. Reckhow, Chair
Committee on the Evaluation of
Chesapeake Bay Program Implementation for
Nutrient Reduction to Improve Water Quality
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.