Tributary Strategies
Tributary Strategies are river-specific cleanup strategies that detail the "on-the-ground" actions needed to reduce the amount of nutrients and sediment flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. They are a framework that will evolve over time to chart the most efficient and effective course to a clean Chesapeake Bay.
When all 36 strategies are added together, cleanup plans will be in place in every part of the Chesapeake Bay 's 64,000 square-mile watershed. And for the first time, the strategies will aim to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution coming from the Bay's headwaters in Delaware, New York and West Virginia.
By changing the way we manage land and minimize pollution from wastewater treatment plants, we can improve water quality and habitat for the plants and animals that call the Bay watershed home.
The strategies outline how the Bay states and the District will develop and implement a series of “best management practices” to minimize pollution. This includes planting new riparian forest buffers, upgrading sewage treatment plants, implementing nutrient management on farms, wisely managing storm water runoff, and other innovative programs to accelerate the restoration of the Bay and its rivers.
Each strategy is tailored to that specific part of the Bay watershed - there is no "one-size-fits-all" strategy for the entire Bay watershed. Pollution reduction actions needed in rural watersheds, for example, vary greatly from those needed in more urban areas.
Also, the strategies will serve as a catalyst for innovation, as they will allow policy makers to identify needed funding initiatives, policies that must be implemented and technologies that need to be developed to expedite Bay restoration.
Your Watershed's Tributary Strategy
To learn more about your watershed's Tributary Strategy and how to get involved in its development or revision, please contact the state lead Tributary Strategy Coordinator or go to your state's Tributary Strategy web site:
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Delaware
Contacts:
Katherine Bunting-Howarth (302) 739-9949 DE Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Jennifer Volk (302) 739-9939 DE Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Website |
DC
Contact:
Hamid Karimi (202) 535-2244 DC Department of Health
Website |
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Maryland
Contacts:
LaVon Boston, Administrative Assistant 410-260-8711 MD Department of Natural Resources
Tributary Strategy Coordinators by Region:
1) Mike Bilek, Temporary Acting Director: Lower Eastern shore, Choptank, and Lower Potomac 410-260-8988 MD Department of Natural Resources
2) Carrie Decker: Upper Eastern Shore, Upper Western Shore, Upper Potomac, and Patapsco Back 410-260-8723 MD Department of Natural Resources
3) Claudia Donegan: Patuxent River Commission, Middle Potomac, Lower Western Shore 410-260-8768 Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Website |
New York
Contacts:
Peter Freehafer (518) 402-8272 NY Department of Environmental Control
Ron Entringer (518) 402-8176 NY Department of Environmental Control
Jim Curatolo (607) 546-2528 Upper Susquehanna Coalition
Website
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Pennsylvania
Contacts:
Pat Buckley (717) 772-1675 PA Department of Environmental Protection
Kenn Pattison (717) 772-5652 PA Department of Environmental Protection
Website |
Virginia
Contacts:
Moira Croghan (804) 786-3958 VA Department of Conservation and Recreation
John Kennedy (804) 698-4312 VA Department of Environmental Quality
Website |
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West Virginia
Contacts:
Alana Hartman (304) 822-7266 WV Department of Environmental Protection
Neil Gillies (304) 897-6297 Cacapon Institute
Michael Schwartz (304) 876-2815 x237 The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute
Website |
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Also see: Maps of Tributary Strategy Basins (2.5 MB)
Tributary Strategy Tools
The Tributary Strategy Tools page provides key information, presentations, data, and other tools to help each jurisdiction develop implement their Tributary Strategies.