EPA evaluation finds Penn. Chesapeake Bay restoration plan lacking

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has concluded a final evaluation of Pennsylvania’s final Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), as part of the Chesapeake Program (CBP) Partnership, and found the state’s final plan lacking.

The agency says that the state has not fully demonstrated how it will meet the CBP Partnership’s 2025 bay restoration goals.

As a result, EPA says that it will maintain the enhanced enforcement position it has held since April 2022. This includes increased agriculture, industrial and municipal stormwater inspections, increased permit oversight, heightened enforcement actions, amplified presence across all sectors, and a review of certain federal funds to ensure they are spent more efficiently in Pennsylvania to ensure adequate progress toward meeting the CBP partnership’s 2025 targets.

States within the watershed have committed to developing WIPs that document how they will each achieve and maintain water quality standards for the Chesapeake Bay. EPA says that, despite recent investments and progress in some sectors, Pennsylvania’s final plan still does not meet the Partnership’s targets for nitrogen and sediment reduction.

A full copy of the evaluation and amended Phase III WIP can be viewed here.