Great news from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Virgina met it’s 2013 goals. An analysis of selected milestones conducted by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and the Choose Clean Water Coalition (CCWC), found that pollution is being reduced.
However, they warn that much still remains to be done:
“Many jurisdictions fell short in implementing practices that reduce pollution from agricultural sources and urban and suburban polluted runoff.
The milestones, two-year commitments made by the Bay states and District of Columbia to reduce pollution, are a key part of the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. In addition, the Blueprint includes pollution limits that will result in a restored Bay and long-term state plans designed to have practices in place by 2017 to achieve 60 percent of water quality improvements, and complete the process by 2025.”Virginia met its overall pollution reduction goals for 2013. Of the eight practices assessed, the Commonwealth met or exceeded its goals for fencing cattle out of streams and urban stream restoration, and was very close to meeting the goal for agricultural practices such as nutrient management, pasture management, and cover crops. Virginia fell short of its goals for forest buffers, conservation tillage, stormwater practices, urban nutrient management, and composite urban practices
The CBF report evaluates progress toward the 2012-13 milestone commitments.