Hampton Roads Planning District CommissionHRPDCVA

Water Resources

Chesapeake Bay

Water Quality and TMDL Development

Map of the Chesapeake Bay and Major River Basins in Hampton Roads

Localities in Hampton Roads and HRPDC staff are working together to clean up the Chesapeake Bay through a variety of efforts:

Chesapeake Bay Current Events

Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (Bay Act)

  • The Commonwealth established the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area (CBPA) Designation and Management Regulations, which apply to all localities in Tidewater, in 1988. 
  • CBPA programs and policies were adopted to protect and improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay by reducing nonpoint source pollution through effective land use management.
  • The intent of the Bay Act is to balance reasonable development interests and water quality improvement.
  • The regulatory amendments to incorporate the impacts of climate change and to include the preservation of mature trees became effective on September 29, 2021. The Tidewater localities have three years to incorporate the changes.    HRPDC staff continue to serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Group convened by the Department of Environmental Quality to provide input on the implementation of the new requirements. 
  • HRGEO houses the resource protection area (RPA) for all Hampton Roads localities subject to CBPA, and askHRgreen.org has new outreach materials for homeowners, realtors, and contractors. The updated website includes an informational video, a mapping application to help locate the RPA, and provides contact information for the local staff.

Links to locality CBPA programs and resources

Locality

Resources

Ordinances

Exceptions/Waivers

Chesapeake

 

 

 

 

Gloucester

 

Hampton

 

 

Isle of Wight County

 

 

James City County

 

Newport News

 

 

 

Norfolk

 

 

 

Portsmouth

 

 

Poquoson

 

 

 

Smithfield

 

 

 

Suffolk

 

 

 

Surry

 

 

 

 

Virginia Beach

 

 

 

Williamsburg

 

 

 

 

York

 

 

 

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