Chesapeake Bay Executive Order Section 502 calls upon the
Administrator of EPA to publish guidance for federal land management in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. EPA’s objective in developing
the guidance is to provide the information that will allow federal agencies to
lead by their example. The guidance
provides information and data on appropriate proven and cost-effective tools
and practices for implementation on federal lands and at federal facilities.
From the perspective of land management and water quality
restoration/protection, this set of “proven cost-effective tools and practices
that reduce water pollution” is also useful for nonfederal land managers to
restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay. These tools and practices, when implemented
broadly, would significantly advance the restoration of the Chesapeake
Bay.
Extensive studies of the Chesapeake Bay indicate that the
great majority of nonpoint sources in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed will need to be controlled, and controlled well, in order to restore
the Bay. Accordingly, this guidance has chapters addressing the categories of
nonpoint source pollution from federal land management activity in the Chesapeake Bay watershed that are sources of nutrients
and sediments currently contributed to the Bay.
The categories of activity addressed in this guidance are agriculture,
urban and suburban, including turf, forestry, riparian areas, decentralized
wastewater treatment systems, and hydromodification.
Each chapter contains one or more "implementation
measures" that provide the framework for the chapter. These are intended to convey the actions that
will help ensure that the broad goals of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order can
be achieved. Each chapter also includes
information on practices that can be used to achieve the goals; information on
the effectiveness and costs of the practices; where relevant, cost savings or
other economic/societal benefits (in addition to the pollutant reduction
benefits) that derive from the implementation goals and/or practices; and
copious references to other documents that provide additional information.
The guidance is available at http://www.epa.gov/nps/chesbay502/