On Wednesday, October 19 at 10:00 a.m., I will join presenters from Joyce Engineering plus present and past state environmental leaders for the first of two 2-hour online sessions covering the current Stormwater regulatory environment and what it means to Virginia localities in required improvements and potential expenses. We invite our readers to take the [...]

Revised Model Data Raises Concerns with TMDL Standards and WIP Requirements Earlier this month, the state’s Chesapeake Bay TMDL Stakeholders Advisory Group (“SAG”) considered the effect of EPA’s revised model data on Virginia’s ability to effectively implement Phase II of the state’s Watershed Implementation Plan. While the revised data decreased Virginia’s basin-wide reduction target for [...]

While stakeholders in Virginia may strongly disagree with the form and substance of the Environmental Protection Agency’s ( EPA) efforts to mandate a cleaner Chesapeake Bay, groups from other states have decided to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency and the Total Maximum Daily Load standards set in place by the agency last year as part of [...]

This month, the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council met in Richmond to discuss, among things, progress being made on efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. Data released that same day indicates that Virginia is on target to meet interim cleanup goals set in 2009.

On Tuesday, May 24, 2011, the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board unanimously approved the state’s final Stormwater Regulations. The Regulations will fundamentally alter the way stormwater from construction activities is regulated in Virginia. The changes include new technical criteria limiting the quality and quantity of discharges for new development and for redevelopment. The changes [...]

Image via Wikipedia Phase II of Virginia’s Watershed Implementation Plan: Where are we now, where are we heading, and how do we get there? Work on Virginia’s Watershed Implementation Plan (“WIP”), specifically, the required implementation of Phase II, has begun…sort of.