Applying the Decision Framework to Attaining Water Quality Standards in the Chesapeake Bay
This paper places the issues and actions of the WQGIT into the context of the CBP decision framework to effectively implement the Bay TMDL and achieve the associated water-quality standards.
Authors
- Chesapeake Bay Program Water Quality Goal Implementation Team
Description
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Water Quality Goal Implementation Team (WQGIT) supports the commitments of the CBP partnership to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution loads in order to achieve water-quality standards in the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Many WQGIT activities relate to implementing the accountability framework within the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sediment (Bay TMDL), which draws significantly on adaptive -management principles and was informed by numerous decisions of the WQGIT, its workgroups, and its CBP predecessors (Water Quality Steering Committee, Nutrient Subcommittee).
This paper places the issues and actions of the WQGIT into the context of the CBP decision framework to effectively implement the Bay TMDL and achieve the associated water-quality standards. The major steps of the CBP decision framework are: articulating program goals, describe factors influencing goal attainment, assess current management efforts (and gaps), develop management strategy, develop monitoring program, assess performance, and manage adaptively. This paper also describes how the decision framework is being used to have a more integrated approach to assess and communicate progress between three related pieces of information.