Chesapeake Bay Protection Measures Stretch To Potter County

A multi-decade effort to clean up and protect the Chesapeake Bay will result in more funding and support of county conservation districts, according to one of the speakers at this week’s County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania summer conference. Patricia Buckley, Chesapeake Bay program coordinator for the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), detailed how the federal government is moving forward with new total maximum daily loads (TMDL) for nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment flowing into the bay.

Counties are involved in the watershed implementation plan. Potter County is included because the headwaters of the Susquehanna River are traced to a farm in the Gold area. Incentives have been created to encourage farmers and municipalities to employ best management practices in reducing runoff from agricultural operations and contaminated stormwater.

Buckley said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing funds for county conservation districts to add staffing to verify compliance and work with landowners. Several other programs have been implemented or proposed, including “nutrient trading/nitrogen credits” and tax credits for farmers who are certified as compliant. She also announced that DEP will hold local meetings, working with county planning directors and conservation district managers, for public education.

More information on the Chesapeake Bay program is available on the EPA website here or the DEP website here (click on DEP Programs A-Z/Chesapeake Bay).