Chesapeake Bay

Water Quality and TMDL Development

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

• Local government representative to the Chesapeake Bay Program's (CBP) Urban Stormwater Work Group, chair of the Land Use Work Group, at-large member of the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team, member of the BMP ad-hoc Verification Team, and participant in other Bay Program partnership work groups. Links to all meetings can be found on the CBP’s calendar page
• Collaborate with Virginia DEQ and partners to reduce loads of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment for the Chesapeake Bay TMDL
• Participated in the Commonwealth’s Phase III WIP effort to address loads in unregulated developed, septic, and forest sectors; conducted stakeholder meetings and produced a final report
• Coordination of the Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program between Phase I MS4 localities, USGS, and HRSD
• The CBP and its partners have updated the current model CAST (Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool) that is used to assess progress. A new model, Phase 7, is being developed for assessments beyond 2025.
  
  

Chesapeake Bay Current Events

• Staff updated the HRPDC on the path to 2025 at their November Commission meeting.
• The CBP’s Land Use Workgroup, in coordination with USGS and the Chesapeake Conservancy updated the high-resolution land use and land cover data.
• The CBP’s Local Government Advisory Committee developed a Local Government Guide to the Chesapeake Bay.
• Track the goals and outcomes on the Chesapeake Progress page and explore data on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Data Dashboard.

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