State Holding Phase III WIP Regional Workshops for Local Governments

In a joint press release (2018-11-08), the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology announced that several state agencies are hosting a series of regional workshops for local governments on the state’s pending Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP).

The WIP will guide both Maryland and its local governments on the third and final phase for achieving water pollution reduction goals under the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) by 2025. The federally mandated TMDL requires Bay watershed states and counties to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution in both the Bay and its tributaries. Once the 2025 goals are met, they also must be maintained in the future.

The regional workshops are set to run from November 15 to December 5. The workshops are free to attend and sponsored by the Center. Funding is provided by the Town Creek Foundation. From the press release:

Each workshop will begin with state and region-specific overviews from the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Department of Agriculture before a set of breakout sessions organized by counties. Participants will then reconvene after lunch for a discussion on next steps.

Dates and locations for the six regional workshops are listed below. For all workshops, doors will open at 9:30 a.m. and the meeting runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants. Registration is required and can be accessed through the links below.

The workshops are scheduled for the following dates, times, and locations:

  • Western Maryland Workshop (Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, Washington) Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018 Williamsport Banquet Hall 2 Brandy Drive, Williamsport, MD 21795 Registration
  • Lower Eastern Shore Workshop (Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, Worcester) Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 Wicomico Youth and Civic Center 500 Glen Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21804 Registration
  • First Central Maryland Workshop (Baltimore City and County, Carroll, Harford) Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018 Harford Community College, APG Federal Credit Union Arena 401 Thomas Run Road, Bel Air, MD 21015 Registration
  • Upper Eastern Shore Workshop (Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot) Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018 The Milestone 9630 Technology Drive, Easton, MD 21601 Registration
  • Second Central Maryland Workshop (Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s) Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 The Gathering Place 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029 Registration
  • Southern Maryland Workshop (Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s) Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018 College of Southern Maryland 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata, MD 20646 Registration

For further information on the workshops, please contact Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology Assistant Director Nancy Nunn at nnunn@umd.edu or 410.827.8056 (ext. 130).