The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has released its draft Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), which details how the State and county governments plan to meet the nutrient and sediment reduction goals of the federally mandated Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).  For copies of the Phase II WIP and information about providing comments, click here.  The site contains the draft Phase II WIP executive summary, main report, and county plans.  

The public comment period runs from January 26 through March 9.  MDE will submit the WIP to the United States Environmental Protection Agency on March 30.  From the site:

Comments on the draft Phase II WIP should be submitted in writing to MDE no later than March 9, 2012 by email (preferred) to: wipcoordinator@mde.state.md.us or by post to: Tom Thornton, Maryland Department of the Environment, 1800 Washington Boulevard – Suite 540, Baltimore MD 21230-1718. …

A series of regional public informational meetings on the draft Phase II WIP will take place during the comment period.  Please note that formal comments will not be taken at the public meetings; rather, these meetings are to answer questions about the WIP. 

Public Informational Meetings Schedule

• Monday, February 6 – 1:00–3:30 PM – Washington College, Chestertown
• Tuesday, February 7 – 6:30–9:00 PM – Videoconferencing from the 4H Center in College Park to the following sites: College of Southern Maryland, Frostburg University, and Salisbury University (Weather date: Wednesday, February 22)
• Wednesday, February 29 – 1:00–3:30 PM – Hagerstown Community College
• Thursday, March 1  – 6:30-9:00 PM – Baltimore County Agricultural Center
• Monday, March 5 – 2:00–4:00 PM – MDE, Baltimore

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