Is Your County on Track for Clean Local Waters?

We know clean local rivers and streams matter. But how do we know whether our county is on track to clean local waters?  Barometers released today answer that question.  They show what progress counties have made and what it will take to finish the job.  Counties have between now and July to improve or refine their local plans.  The counties’ submissions fell into four broad categories.  Click on the county name to read their barometer:

• “A Strong Start, Let’s Put it to Work” – Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Dorchester, and Montgomery.
• “A Good Start, Much Work Remains” – Baltimore City, Howard, Kent, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, and Talbot.
• “A Plan is Emerging, Significant Work Ahead” – Harford, Queen Anne’s, and Wicomico.
• “Much Work Ahead for Clean Local Waters” – Allegany, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Somerset, Washington, and Worcester.

With so many excellent models from across the state, including both urban and rural counties, we know that every county can develop a strong plan by July.

The counties were evaluated against three main factors:

• Does the plan compute – does the plan provide a measurable path toward long-term pollution reduction targets?
• Are there short-term commitments – does the plan list the actions each county needs to take in the next two years (2-year milestones)?
• Will it be paid for – does the plan list the funding needed to cover the local costs of reducing the county’s share of pollution?

Want to know more about the barometers? Read the press release here.

The plans are rolling in… and there is more work ahead

Today Maryland will release an important plan for restoring the Bay. Called the Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan,  this draft plan should show show clear next steps on how Maryland will meet its pollution reduction goals.

But the eyes of citizens are not just on the State.  For this effort to succeed and clean not just the Bay but also local waters, local governments must play a prominent role in developing – and implementing – their own clean water plans.

Conservation advocates have been reviewing the local efforts so far, and are concerned that most of the draft submissions were weak or incomplete.  However, local governments still have time to produce strong clean water plans before the July 2012 final deadline.

 Restoring the Chesapeake Bay starts in our backyards – in the rivers and streams our families know and love.  The counties are already thinking differently about how they can structure staff, resources, and funding to meet clean water goals. The next few months will determine if the new way of thinking will translate into a new way of acting – and result in clean waters.  Marylanders who want local rivers and streams to be healthy will be watching and holding county governments accountable.

Read the press release here.  For more information on the restoration effort, check out this fact sheet!

September Regional Workshops

Throughout September, the Center for Agro-Ecology is hosting five regional workshops with detailed information on how counties can clean local waters.  These workshops will provide an overview of how things are going so far, especially from the teams tackling agriculture runoff, and will provide financing and technical tools for counties struggling with urban pollution.

Here is more information, including a full agenda.

To register for these workshops, go here. (Warning: you have to scroll down a long way to find the ‘class’ you are registering for! Scroll to the Natural Resources and Water Quality category, then find your Fall Phase II WIP Workshop on the drop down menu.)

Can’t attend?  Urge your local elected officials to go.  Our local leaders must show they are committed to this process and committed to cleaning local waters. Attending these workshops will not only give them the tools and information to do a better job drafting their plans, but it will show they are engaged and interested in the process.

List of workshops:

Western Maryland (Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Williamsport Banquet Hall, 2 Brandy Drive, Williamsport, MD 21795

Upper Eastern Shore (Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot)
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Milestone (formerly Krystal Q), 9630 Technology Drive, Easton, MD 21601

Lower Western Shore (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
IC Hall, 28297 Old Village Road, Mechanicsville, MD 20659

Central Maryland (Baltimore City, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard)
Friday, September 23, 2011
University of Maryland Baltimore County (Ballroom), 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250

Lower Eastern Shore (Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester)
Friday, September 30, 2011
Salisbury University, Guerrieri University Center, 1101 Camden Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21801