Unlike the states of Maryland and Virginia, Pennsylvania has not made a commitment to bring new financial resources to cleanup watersheds feeding into the Chesapeake Bay in the wake of President Obama's Executive Order this week renewing the federal commitment to water quality improvement in the Bay.
In an announcement today, DEP Secretary John Hanger cataloged the efforts made by the Commonwealth to date. (click here for the announcement)
In concert with the President's announcement, the Executive Council announced a series of two-year milestones for reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus pollution that cause murky water and algae blooms that block sunlight from reaching bay grasses and dramatically reduce oxygen levels for aquatic life.
In Pennsylvania, the cost of complying with the nutrient and sediment reduction requirements for Chesapeake Bay cleanup is over $2 billion-- $1.4 billion for wastewater treatment plants, according to a Legislative Budget and Finance Committee report and over $650 million for agriculture, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
"Pennsylvania has taken a leadership role in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since the signing of the original Chesapeake Bay Agreement in 1983," Secretary Hanger said. "All of the steps we have taken in the past to reduce the pollution entering the bay from Pennsylvania, and the steps we will take in the next few years, are putting Pennsylvania in a good position to comply with the EPA's forthcoming TMDL for the entire watershed and to keep our commitment to do our part to restore the Chesapeake Bay."
Pennsylvania is responsible for 50 percent of the fresh water entering the Chesapeake By through the Susquehanna and Potomac rivers.
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