The Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a comprehensive “pollution diet” to restore the health of the Bay and its local streams, creeks and rivers.

The Chesapeake Bay TMDL—the largest such cleanup plan ever developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—sets limits on nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution necessary to meet water quality standards in the Bay and its tidal rivers.

Maryland, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C., are all required to meet these pollution limits, because they all have rivers and streams that drain into the Chesapeake Bay. The jurisdictions develop “Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs)” that detail how they will meet their pollution reduction goals, and submit 2-year milestones based on their progress.

More information on the information related to the Chesapeake Bay TMDL can be found on the EPA website.