By Whitney Katchmark
Principal Water Resources Engineer

The “Hampton Roads Regional Planning Framework, Scenario, and Strategies” final report  for the Chesapeake Bay TMDL was approved by the HRPDC at its Quarterly Commission Meeting on January 19, 2012.
 
The report was developed to help localities fulfill the request from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) for locality input on the Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan. DCR Director David Johnson, sent a letter to all localities on November 9, 2011, requesting that local governments provide the following information:

1) Develop a current BMP inventory – this information will be used to update implementation progress data in the Chesapeake Bay model;
2) Evaluate the land use / land cover information included in the model and provide more accurate land cover information you may have – this will be of tremendous assistance in ensuring that model revisions made in the future will more accurately reflect land use information in your locality;
3) Review the 2017 and 2025 BMP scenarios as identified in the Phase I WIP and develop preferred local BMP scenarios that provide a similar level of treatment – identified local BMP scenarios will be aggregated and incorporated into the Phase II WIP;
4) Develop strategies to implement the preferred BMP scenarios – strategies will also be aggregated and used in the development of Virginia’s Phase II WIP; and
5) Identify any resource needs to implement the strategies and BMP scenarios – this information will be used in drafting Virginia’s Phase II WIP and developing of cost estimates for the implementation of the WIP.

HRPDC’s regional report addresses many of these topics and focuses on item 3, providing a preferred BMP scenario for all cities and counties in the region. The deadline for localities to provide DCR input is February 1, 2012.

To read the report, click HERE.