Maryland’s Strategies and Actions to Restore the Chesapeake Bay

In order to reach our Bay restoration goals, Maryland must reduce the amount of nitrogen entering the Bay annually by approximately 11 million pounds from 2009 levels – about a 21% reduction. As shown on the “Causes of the Problems” pages, this pollution comes from every type of land use – urban and rural, farms, cities, towns, houses, schools, parks and playgrounds. All Marylanders are part of the problem, and all Marylanders must be part of the solution. To that end, we have identified 46 specific, measureable actions and associated goals for reducing pollution, restoring habitats, and fostering smarter, greener growth and living in Maryland. All Marylanders play a role in implementing at least some of these actions, and we all must work together if we are to be successful. Read more...

Maryland's Role in the Chesapeake Bay TMDL

The State of Maryland submitted its Final Phase I Watershed Implementation Plan to the Environmental Protection Agency on December 3, 2010. This 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).

The Phase II WIP, which will be developed during 2011, will adjust and refine the Phase I plan, which sets reduction goals for 2017 and 2020. Never before has our state developed such a detailed, specific plan for Bay restoration with this level of commitment from all stakeholders, including our federal partners. I want to thank all Marylanders who attended public meetings across the State and provided hundreds of valuable comments that helped shape such a comprehensive plan. Bay restoration is within reach. This Plan provides the road map to get us there. A healthy Bay will benefit Maryland's tourism, recreation, agriculture, and fisheries industries; it will improve the value of our homes, farms, and businesses; and it will create green jobs -- all while protecting our drinking water and improving waterways across the State.

Welcome to BayStat

Governor Martin O’Malley created BayStat by Executive Order in February, 2007 – a powerful new statewide tool designed to assess, coordinate and target Maryland’s Bay restoration programs, and to inform our citizens on progress.

Each month Governor O’Malley meets with his BayStat team -- the Secretaries of the Maryland Departments of Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources and Planning, scientists from the University of Maryland and other key staff -- to make sure our Bay restoration work is on track. These sessions provide a regular opportunity for the team to assess progress, evaluate what’s working and what’s not, and adapt our efforts accordingly.

BayStat allows Maryland state agencies to work smarter…

• coordinating efforts and programs
• basing decisions on the best available science
• targeting resources to get the biggest bang for the buck and
• being more open and accountable to Maryland citizens

2 Year Milestones:

On May 12, 2009, Governor O'Malley joined Virginia's Governor Kaine, Washington D.C Mayor Fenty, EPA Administrator Jackson, and representatives of Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and New York in announcing significant acceleration of our collective Chesapeake Bay restoration actions over the next 2 years. Maryland's suite of actions represent a 138% increase in our rate of nitrogen reduction and an over 500% increase in our rate of phosphorus reduction, and put Maryland on a pace to meet our Bay Restoration Goals by 2020.

Maryland's BayStat agencies are currently working on revising the "Solutions" portion of this website to transparently track our progress at meeting these Milestones. In the meantime, more specifics on Maryland's actions can be viewed at Maryland 2 Year Milestones.