The Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a "pollution diet" established in December 2010 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that is intended to limit the amount of phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment entering the Bay from its watershed. 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 state with waters draining into the Bay is required to submit a Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) which proposes how these pollution reduction goals will be met. The WIP has three phases.
2013 WIP
In 2013, the county completed the Phase II WIP Community Outreach Work Plan. The goal of the Work Plan was to determine the most reasonable and cost effective strategies for meeting the requirements of the WIP. The county is currently working on implementing several recommendations outlined by the Work Plan Stakeholder Committee.