Downloads: Executive Summary (3.01 mb) | Full document (11.26 mb)

Provide comments (Deadline: January 8, 2010)

Expanded action and increased accountability by the federal government are the focus of a draft strategy for restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay required by President Obama’s Executive Order. To accelerate efforts and track progress, federal agencies are committing to meet milestones every two years, leading to all activities needed to restore the Chesapeake Bay and watershed being in place no later than 2025.

The draft strategy, released today, contains a comprehensive package of federal initiatives to restore clean water, conserve treasured places, protect fish and wildlife, and adapt to the impacts of climate change. These objectives will be accomplished by empowering local efforts, making decisions based on science and forging a new era of federal leadership and accountability. Close collaboration of efforts with the six states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the District of Columbia will also be critical.

“President Obama has declared that the Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and committed to a robust cleanup effort. Setting two-year benchmarks for progress will ensure that our actions are getting the results the President and the public expect,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This is the broadest and most publicly accountable cleanup effort ever seen on the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. It’s time for a new era of decisive federal leadership, and new partnerships with state government, nonprofits, the private sector and residents who have all been working to create a cleaner Bay.”

Public comment on the draft strategy is important to the federal agencies and will shape the final strategy. The formal public comment period is from November 9, 2009 to January 8, 2010. The draft strategy will evolve significantly through public comments, state consultations and agency revisions before the final strategy is published in May 2010.

To restore clean water, EPA will create a framework for performance and accountability to guide federal and state pollution control programs, and expand regulatory tools to reduce pollution from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and urban and suburban runoff. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will intensively target voluntary conservation incentives at high priority areas. New emphasis is also placed on improving stormwater management on federal land and reducing polluted runoff from transportation infrastructure.

“Maintaining healthy, sustainable farms and forests is an essential component to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Our focus is on increasing economic viability, strengthening markets for local foods, improving water quality and protecting the natural landscape.”

The draft strategy contains numerous initiatives to conserve natural places, animal habitats and fish and wildlife. For example, the Department of the Interior will pursue development of a Chesapeake Treasured Landscapes Initiative to support state and local efforts to conserve and restore the environmental, historic, cultural and recreational value of many of the region’s wetlands, river corridors and open spaces. The department will look for opportunities to expand or create new units of the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, National Wild and Scenic Rivers system and National Historic Trails system.

“Our proposed initiative will build upon the existing partnerships with states, local communities, conservation organizations and other stakeholders to undertake projects that will not only conserve the Chesapeake Bay but will lead to its restoration as one of the great natural wonders of our country,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “We have a big toolbox full of conservation actions and we plan to use it.”

One challenge to restoration is climate change, which scientists project will have a variety of impacts on the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, including rising sea levels, warmer water and air temperatures, and stronger storms. NOAA and the U.S. Geological Survey are leading the development of the federal strategy for adapting to climate change impacts in the Bay.

“Science shows that Chesapeake Bay habitats and living resources are already being affected by climate change,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator. “We need to adapt to climate change to ensure that the places and things we care about – like wetlands that serve as nurseries for fish and crabs and coastal communities that are vulnerable to sea level rise – can be addressed in our restoration efforts.”

NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers will also lead a revitalized effort to recover native oyster reefs and establish self-sustaining native oyster reef sanctuaries in key tributaries by 2020.

The draft strategy emphasizes the need to empower local efforts because local governments, watershed organizations and residents have a great interest and ability to restore the environment. Federal agencies will expand technical assistance and resources, and support development of innovative technologies to reduce pollution and economic markets for ecosystem services. A Chesapeake Conservation Corps will be pursued to increase citizen stewardship, and public education will engage people in protecting local waterways.

Federal agencies have also developed a suite of accountability and transparency measures, led by ChesapeakeStat, an online tool that will identify restoration projects, funding and progress, and be publicly accessible. The draft strategy also calls for an annual plan for spending; reporting on environmental health and restoration progress, potentially through the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Bay Barometer; and an independent evaluation of federal efforts.

On May 12, President Obama issued Executive Order 13508 on Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Protection, the first-ever presidential directive on the Bay and the first environmental Executive Order by President Obama. The order established a Federal Leadership Committee, chaired by EPA, and with senior representatives from the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Interior and Transportation. These agencies generated draft reports in September 2009 with recommendations for addressing issues such as water quality, public access, landscape conservation, climate change, scientific monitoring and the protection of living resources. These draft reports were integrated into the draft strategy, which must be finalized by May 12, 2010.

Instructions for the providing public comments are contained in the Federal Register notice at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-26923.pdf

Comments on the draft 202 reports were submitted by several jurisdictions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. These comments are available below.

Delaware Comments on 202 Reports.pdf (3.43 mb)

DC Comments on 202 Reports.pdf (34.52 kb)

Maryland Comments on 202 Reports.pdf (60.97 kb)

Pennsylvania Comments on 202 Reports.pdf (159.79 kb)

Virginia Comments on 202 Reports.pdf (366.46 kb)

Federal agencies have released seven draft reports on protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

Read the overall executive summary. 

Executive Summary Draft Reports EO 13508.pdf (356.15 kb)

These draft reports make recommendations on how to:

(a) define the next generation of tools and actions to restore water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and describe the changes to be made to regulations, programs, and policies to implement these actions (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

(b) target resources to better protect the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary waters, including resources under the Food Security Act of 1985 as amended, the Clean Water Act, and other laws (U.S. Department of Agriculture)

(c) strengthen storm water management practices at Federal facilities and on Federal lands within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and develop storm water best practices guidance (U.S. Department of Defense)

(d) assess the impacts of a changing climate on the Chesapeake Bay and develop a strategy for adapting natural resource programs and public infrastructure to the impacts of a changing climate on water quality and living resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed (U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Interior)

(e) expand public access to waters and open spaces of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries from Federal lands and conserve landscapes and ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay watershed (U.S. Department of Interior) 

(f) strengthen scientific support for decisionmaking to restore the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, including expanded environmental research and monitoring and observing systems (U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Interior)

(g) develop focused and coordinated habitat and research activities that protect and restore living resources and water quality of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed (U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Interior).

Input from the public is critically important to the federal agencies that are creating new approaches for restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. When a draft strategy and revised reports are released on November 9, the formal public comment period will begin. But until then, feedback can be submitted by using the form below. Also available is the option to share thoughts on any entry on this website simply by clicking on the "feedback" link after the entry. The federal agencies will receive and consider feedback posted on this website. However, they will not respond individually to each person who offers comments. The public will have the opportunity to submit formal written comments for the record beginning November 9. 

At 1:30 p.m. today, U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will hold a conference call with the media to discuss the Executive Order draft reports. The public can receive live updates from the call via Twitter by following chesapeakebayeo. Visit http://twitter.com/chesapeakebayeo

The seven draft reports required by Section 202 of President Obama’s Executive Order on the Chesapeake Bay and an overall executive summary will be posted on this website at 12:30 p.m. The draft reports contain a range of proposed strategies for accelerating cleanup of the nation’s largest estuary and its vast watershed. The draft reports address a range of issues including water quality, public access, landscape conservation, climate change, scientific monitoring and the protection of living resources.

Success in protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem will ultimately be measured by the vitality and richness of its living resources and the health and well being of the people who rely on them. From small beginnings in the mountain streams of West Virginia and New York, through the foothills of Virginia and Pennsylvania, to the extraordinary marshlands in Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed are unparalleled natural treasures. Thousands of miles of rivers and streams support an intricate system of aquatic and terrestrial habitats—including open water, underwater grasses, wetlands, fields, and forests—for the more than 3,600 migratory and resident species that depend on the Bay. The Section 202(g) report will outline the renewed Federal commitment to develop focused and coordinated habitat and research activities that protect and restore living resources and water quality.

The Chesapeake Bay and its watershed make up one of the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world; Chesapeake habitats provide a vital ecological link for migratory fish and birds. But the watershed’s fish, wildlife and habitats are increasingly threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, poor water quality, contaminants, overharvesting of aquatic species, occurrences of disease, and climate change. 

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Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: Living resources depend on networks of healthy and connected habitats for food, water, shelter, and breeding areas. Land use changes fragment or destroy these natural places, and can affect others downstream, leaving fewer natural habitats available to provide plants and animals with the basics they need to live. For instance, development can create more impervious surfaces, leading to increased soil and pollutant runoff into the Bay.

Invasive Species: Invasive species are animals and plants not native to the watershed that spread throughout the area quickly, often overtaking native species. There are more than 200 invasive species in the watershed; some, like nutria, northern snakehead, zebra mussels, phragmites, purple loosestrife, and water chestnut, cause costly ecological problems. Some of these invasive species can take over entire habitats while others consume the food or alter the habitat needed by our native species. For example, upland invasive plants, such as garlic mustard, tree of heaven and Japanese honeysuckle, reduce the stability of soil - leading to increased sediment into streams throughout the watershed. 

Poor Water Quality: Poor water quality alters available habitat and can limit the success of restoration efforts. Oxygen-deprived water is considered to be the largest aquatic pollution problem in the United States and is associated with increased harmful algal blooms and large areas of “dead zones” in the Chesapeake Bay. It also causes the loss of submerged aquatic vegetation, an important habitat for a variety of Bay species. Excess nutrients imported into the Chesapeake watershed may limit the ability to address habitat issues and are an overarching concern.

Contaminants: Evidence collected in the Piedmont province of the Potomac River suggests that the presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals is affecting immune systems in fish and may be related to a high occurrence of intersex, or the presence of immature eggs in male fish, in smallmouth bass. Intersex is an indicator of chemical contamination. Loss of habitat can affect transport of contaminants. Human consumption advisories are in place for more than a dozen fish species in Maryland, Virginia, and other states’ waters due to PCB, mercury, and pesticides. 

Overharvesting: Overharvesting of living resources can significantly affect not only individual populations, but other living resources. Overharvesting is commonly implicated as a contributor to declines of commercially and recreationally important fisheries. Because all species in the Bay are related through the food web, the health of one species may also influence the success of other populations. Overharvesting can affect the economy by damaging entire commercial and recreational industries. To avoid these impacts, scientists and resource managers work closely to ensure that thorough scientific analysis is applied to decisions relating to living resources facing tough challenges.

Disease and Pathogens: Impacts of other stressors can result in increased disease outbreaks, high parasite loads, and decreased disease resistance. For instance, mycobacteriosis is a chronic bacterial disease currently affecting Chesapeake Bay striped bass, causing loss of fish and economic impact for recreational and commercial fisheries. Some of the mycobacteria that commonly infect fishes can also cause infections in people. Diseases have decimated native oysters and the habitat and water quality benefits they provide. Scientists predict that disease issues will become more prominent in response to higher water temperatures caused by climate change. 

Climate Change: Climate change is an additional stressor for living resources. The predicted changes in sea-level, precipitation patterns, stream flows, and water temperatures will directly affect stream corridors, coastal habitats, and the Bay. More acidic water in the system will reduce calcium in the water that is needed by aquatic species such as oysters. Superimposed on these changes are human population growth and changes in land use that may exacerbate some or all of the challenges induced by climate change. Understanding and managing these potential impacts can best be done by applying state-of-the-art monitoring and remote-sensing tools at the landscape scale.

To successfully address the multitude of stressors and support the health of living resources in the Chesapeake ecosystem, the 202(g) report will outline how agencies will work collaboratively to:

• Prioritize actions to maximize ecological benefits;
• Accelerate habitat protection and restoration; and
• Coordinate research and assessment to support the Bay’s critical living resources. 

Sustaining and restoring the function of the watershed’s diverse habitats is essential to the sustainability of the Chesapeake ecosystem, the regional economy, and the quality of life enjoyed by the 17 million people who call this region home.

The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are required under section 202(f) of the Executive Order to make recommendations to “expand environmental research, monitoring and observation to strengthen scientific support for decision-making on Bay restoration issues.”

A spectrum of people—including scientists, resource managers, elected officials, and the general public—need more and better scientific information about the Bay and its watershed. This helps them make informed decisions that affect the Chesapeake and to track the health of the Bay more accurately.

The 202(f) report will improve decision support by strengthening science and employing adaptive management. New ideas will be presented for ecosystem-based management, including the modeling, monitoring, and assessment needed to improve decisions about restoration and protection of the Bay and its watershed.

The USGS and NOAA will strengthen their broad portfolio of scientific models, monitoring, assessments, and decision-support tools to help the Chesapeake Bay Program improve ecosystem management. NOAA will continue to help protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay through its programs in fisheries management, habitat restoration, coastal observations, and education.

Science and technical support can increase the efficiency of ecosystem management activities by addressing key uncertainties and unknowns that impact the conditions in the Bay and its watershed. This requires research that improves a decision-maker’s understanding of factors affecting outcomes using environmental research, computer modeling, statistical analyses, monitoring systems, or a combination of these different approaches to design new decision-support tools.

The USGS, NOAA, and other federal partners have identified ecosystem-based, adaptive management as a key strategy for future efforts. Ecosystem-based management combines systems modeling and ecological monitoring to optimize the effectiveness of management actions by:

-Modeling factors that affect priority fish and wildlife populations in the Bay watershed, to help the CBP partners identify critical landscapes and habitat needed to protect the Bay’s living resources,

-Expanding monitoring, assessment, and research to include changes in land use, water quality, habitat, and climate, and 

-Designing enhanced decision-support systems.

Together, the USGS and NOAA will work with their Chesapeake Bay Program partners and state and local governments as well as academic institutions toward a renewed commitment to science for an enhanced understanding of the Bay and its watershed.

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Section 202(e) of the Executive Order charges the National Park Service to provide recommendations that will “expand public access to waters and open spaces of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries from Federal lands and conserve landscapes and ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.” An early draft report addressing this charge will be available to the public in September, with a revised draft released for public comment and engagement in November.

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Conservation and public access strategies for the Bay region must honor and strengthen the integrated relationship between nature and culture. Conservation approaches that support multiple social goals are essential to restoring the Bay and to sustaining quality of life in a rapidly developing watershed. With development and climate change posing threats to the Chesapeake’s treasured landscapes, the region’s important places may soon be altered irreversibly or lost forever. Swift and measured conservation is essential.

The Bay’s most important landscapes are those that reflect and promote a positive and productive relationship between people and place. Some of these landscapes are wild, sustaining wildlife, improving air and water quality, and reducing flood damage. They are also places where people live, work, learn, and recreate. They include wooded parks, water trails, small town main streets, urban green spaces, and historic homesteads and battlefields. They also encompass farms, forests, and waterfronts that add billions of dollars to the region’s economy. 

Some 18 percent – or 7.3 million acres – of the Bay region is considered permanently protected, but urgent conservation needs exist for hundreds of thousands of valuable, high priority acres. Local jurisdictions, state and federal agencies, and private organizations are already at work on this challenge. These groups have developed systems for recognizing special landscapes and produced some goals and strategies for conservation. These recognition programs tend to sort landscapes by their ecological or cultural values. Ecological recognition systems emphasize habitat and watershed functions. Cultural recognition systems emphasize the interplay between people and place: working landscapes, historic sites, and recreational areas. However, any large, important landscape in the Bay region will inevitably represent values from both categories due to the long and intimate relationship between land, water, and people.

The Chesapeake region’s states—Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, New York and West Virginia—have identified the need to conserve some 4 million acres of land: including both working landscapes (farms and forests) and areas of ecological significance. Yet two-thirds of that amount – 2.7 million acres – remains unprotected today. This alone represents an extremely significant conservation need, but it also represents only one portion of the full need. This figure does not include other state conservation objectives from Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, or West Virginia. Nor does it include any conservation goals for culturally important landscapes beyond Maryland’s farmland preservation goals. 

The scope of conservation needs expands still further when considering the existing gaps in both conservation goals and the recognition systems that support them. For example, the region lacks consistent goals and recognition systems for cultural landscapes. The problem is compounded by the need to know more about the ways in which the broad spectrum of Americans define and relate to their landscapes—including African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, farm communities, and urban and suburban residents.  There is also a considerable gap between the existing conservation goals and on-the-ground actions needed to achieve them.

The state of public access to the Chesapeake Bay is also problematic. Just 2 percent of the Bay’s shoreline is accessible to the public, providing places where people can enjoy the natural and cultural bounty of the Chesapeake region. State and local budget constraints are also threatening the core operation of existing facilities.  

Approximately 783 public access sites exist in the six Bay states and the District of Columbia, provided by a range of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as some private nonprofit organizations and creative partnerships. Forty-six federally managed properties provide a portion of these sites. Most access on federal land is provided through the National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Notable progress has been made in providing thematic visitor experiences of the Chesapeake's landscapes by connecting diverse sites across multiple jurisdictions. These popular offerings include the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Water Trails Network, Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail, and Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. Although federal agencies coordinate and/or support these trails, the great majority of participating sites are on state, local, and non-governmental properties managed by non-federal entities. These partnership systems highlight the important role of federal agencies, while demonstrating that the amount of public access available on federal land is dwarfed the amount of access available at state and local sites.

Low-lying areas near the Chesapeake Bay, like this marsh, could be dramatically affected by climate change.

Section 202(d) of Executive Order 13508 charges federal agencies to “assess the impacts of a changing climate on the Chesapeake Bay and develop a strategy for adapting national resource programs and public infrastructure to the impacts of a changing climate in water quality and living resources of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.” An early draft report addressing this charge will be available to the public in September, with a revised draft released for public comment and engagement in November.

Although progress has been made in restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, the system remains degraded due to a long history of land clearing and development, fertilizer use, and human population increases. Climate change could add to these degraded conditions by negatively affecting water quality and quantity, public health, the sustainability of aquatic freshwater and marine and terrestrial living resources, and the quality of life and economic well-being of the watershed’s 17 million residents. Changes in climate patterns may significantly increase costs and timelines for restoring water quality and living resources. While there are some uncertainties around climate change projections, there is broad consensus that air and water temperatures are rising, sea-level rise is accelerating, and precipitation patterns will likely change in the Chesapeake Bay region. 

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Sea level in the Bay has risen approximately one foot over the last century, with slightly higher rates in the southern Bay—about twice the global average. According to a recent literature synthesis by the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), by the year 2100, relative sea level is predicted to rise by two to five feet. This would adversely affect vital ecosystems that are important to sustain fisheries and other coastal-dependent jobs, improve water quality, and buffer the impacts from storms on upland habitats and property.

Many low-lying Chesapeake Bay communities, including large urban areas like Hampton Roads, the Washington, D.C., area, and Baltimore, are at risk from rising sea levels and increased storm surges. Flooding events threaten infrastructure, transportation, and water supplies, and can result in large economic losses. 

Wetlands are also at risk. These habitats provide important ecological services, including serving as critical habitat for many fish, animals, and plants. They also improve water quality by filtering out sediment and pollutants, and protect adjacent upland areas from storm surge and erosion. Sea-level rise and wetland loss could increase shoreline erosion rates and lead to more turbid (muddy) shallow waters, which would make it difficult for underwater grasses to survive.

Higher-salinity ocean water will be driven into the Bay as sea levels rise. This may result in higher local salinities as seawater pushes farther into the Bay and rivers. Saltwater intrusion, whether by sea-level rise or storm surge, poses significant threats to water supplies, infrastructure, and wastewater treatment facilities along the Chesapeake Bay

Water temperatures are increasing as a result of climate change. According to the STAC report, by 2100 regional warming is projected to be 4-11⁰ F above historical averages. Increased temperatures may increase the growing season of species such as oysters, but it may also increase the early onset of devastating oyster diseases that thrive in warmer temperatures and saltier waters. Harmful algal blooms should also increase in frequency and distribution as Bay waters warm

Temperature and salinity are major factors in determining species ranges; therefore, widespread changes to plant and animal distributions are expected. For example, if summer temperatures increase to even the conservative projections, cooler-water underwater grasses may no longer survive in the lower Chesapeake Bay, which would lead to significant declines in fish populations and water quality. And cooler-water fish species such as striped bass may be replaced by warmer-water species such as brown shrimp

More research is needed to understand how climate change will affect precipitation patterns and storm events. With sea levels higher, even equivalent storms the same strength as today’s storms will produce greater coastal inundation. Current models indicate winter and spring precipitation is likely to increase (potentially up to 10%), and storm intensity may also increase. Precipitation drives freshwater flow into the Chesapeake Bay estuary, which is a major factor in determining circulation patterns, as well as nutrient and sediment loads from the watershed. 

No areas of our watershed or society are immune to climate change. Although inland areas are not directly vulnerable to sea-level rise, they will experience significant effects from temperature increases and changes to precipitation patterns. Many Bay region states have already begun to aggressively address climate change through mitigation and adaptation strategies. The federal government also has numerous existing resources to address and minimize impacts from climate change. The 202(d) report will recommend strategies for improved coordination and collaboration among federal, state, and local governments to protect Chesapeake Bay resources and communities.

Fringe wetlands (pink areas) occur along the shorelines of much of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. These areas provide valuable habitat for fish, birds, and a wide variety of other animals and plant. They also act to increase water quality and protect adjacent uplands from erosion and storm surge. As sea level rises, these fringe wetlands are increasingly threatened. The balloons on this map show the average relative rates of sea level rise (millimeters per year) for those locations, dating back to 1965 or earlier. (map adapted from EPA; sea level rise data from NOAA)

Where can I find more information?

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change features a wealth of information on current predictions for climate change.
• NOAA, the federal agency charged with helping society understand, plan for, and respond to climate variability and change, shares information about climate change.
• USGS also runs programs associated with the Chesapeake Bay Program.

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Section 202(c) of the Executive Order charges the U.S. Department of Defense with leading the effort to develop a report and make recommendations to “strengthen stormwater management practices at Federal facilities and on Federal lands within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.”  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is the lead agency for developing guidance on the best practices for stormwater management.

The federal government is the largest single landowner in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It owns 7.8 percent of the land area in the watershed (agriculture, as a point of reference, accounts for 25 percent of the land area).  Federal facilities in the Bay watershed range in type from highly industrial to rural. The largest pollutant contribution from federal agency lands derives from urban and suburban stormwater discharge.

A combination of regulations and voluntary measures is used to manage stormwater’s effects on the Chesapeake Bay.  But in 2008, water quality was rated very poor.  Only 21 percent of the goals established in the Chesapeake 2000 agreement were being met.  This lack of progress and the emergence of new techniques argue powerfully for a new and improved approach to stormwater management. 

Stormwater sources fall into three major categories:  (1) stormwater discharges from new development and redevelopment projects, (2) stormwater discharges from existing facilities and developed lands, and (3) runoff from undeveloped lands.  A full range of options for improving water quality through federal leadership in stormwater management are currently under consideration.  

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