Water Quality Goal Implementation Team (GIT 3)

Upcoming Meetings
Water Quality Goal Implementation Team (GIT 3) Meeting, June 2023
Monday, June 26, 2023 from 1:00pm - 4:00pmWater Quality Goal Implementation Team (GIT 3) Meeting, July 2023
Monday, July 24, 2023 from 1:00pm - 4:00pmWater Quality Goal Implementation Team (GIT 3) Meeting, August 2023
Monday, August 28, 2023 from 1:00pm - 4:00pmScope and Purpose
The charge of the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team (WQGIT) is to evaluate, focus, and accelerate the implementation of practices, policies, programs that will restore water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries to conditions that support living resources and protect human health. The Team reports to the Management Board and Principals’ Staff Committee. Functions include:
- Provide a forum for discussion, exchange of information, and evaluation among federal, state, and local agencies, river basin commissions, industry groups, universities, and other interested parties on water quality goals, data, modeling, authorities, and restoration efforts.
- Evaluate and promote strategies to reduce nutrient, sediment, and chemical contaminant loads from municipal, industrial and onsite wastewater; agricultural lands and animal operations; urban and suburban stormwater; forested lands; tidal and in-stream sediment; and air emissions.
- Promote consistent, uniform and transparent processes to model, track, report, and verify water quality restoration efforts.
- Identify, define, quantify, and incorporate pollutant reduction and conservation practices into the Chesapeake Bay Program decision support system.
- Provide technical expertise and leadership to support the development, implementation, and tracking of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, Watershed Implementation Plans, and two-year milestones that support long-term Bay restoration goals.
Projects and Resources
Phase 7 Model Development
Currently in development, the Phase 7 Modeling Tools will be used by the partnership to inform decisions related to nutrient and sediment reduction goals outlined in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Evolving plans and related documents can be found on this site:
https://www.chesapeakebay.net/what/programs/modeling/phase_7_model_development
WQGIT Governance Protocols, Membership, and Orientation Materials
The WQGIT Governance Protocols articulate the decision-making procedures and cross-sector communication processes observed by the WQGIT and its Workgroups. The WQGIT Governance Protocols are consistent with the governance decisions made by the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership's Principals' Staff Committee
- WQGIT Governance Protocols v06.23.2021 (pdf - 176.393 KB)
- WQGIT Voting Members 2022- 2023 Term (signatory, at- large, git leadership) (pdf - 174.4 KB)
- WQGIT Membership Definition 2022 (pdf - 169.884 KB)
- WQGIT Orientation Guide 2022 (FINAL) (pdf - 1.132 MB)
Water Quality Management Strategy and Logic and Action Plan
The Water Quality Management Strategy provides broad, overarching direction for how to monitor, assess and report progress towards reaching the 2017 Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) Outcome, the 2025 WIP Outcome, and the Water Quality Standards Attainment & Monitoring Outcome from the 2014 Watershed Agreement. The strategy is further supported by a two-year Logic and Action Plan that summarizes the specific commitments, short-term actions and resources required for success.
- 2025 wip outcome srs logic and action plan v1 6 2021 (pdf - 279.435 KB)
- Wq ms 2021 22 v1 6 2021 (pdf - 760.748 KB)
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Data Dashboard
The Watershed Data Dashboard is a visualization tool to consolidate and provide accessibility to Chesapeake Bay watershed monitoring, modeling, trends, projections and explanations for use in watershed management planning and implementation.
Access the WIP Data Dashboard here: https://gis.chesapeakebay.net/wip/dashboard/
Chesapeake Bay TMDL 2017 Midpoint Assessment
The December 2010 Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (Bay TMDL) calls for an assessment in 2017 to review our progress toward meeting the nutrient and sediment pollutant load reductions identified in the 2010 Bay TMDL, Phase I and Phase II Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) and two-year milestones.
For a comprehensive overview of the Midpoint Assessment, schedule, and supporting documents, please visit our Chesapeake Bay TMDL Midpoint Assessment web page: https://mpa.chesapeakebay.net/
For an overview of the priorities and project leads related to the Scenario Builder and Watershed Model plan for the Midpoint Assessment, please visit our page dedicated to that effort: https://mpa.chesapeakebay.net/Details.html
- Guiding Principles (pdf - 99.121 KB)
- Midpoint Assessment Schedule Adjustments: PSC Approved 5.26.16 (pdf - 589.73 KB)
- Historical BMP and Wastewater data cleanup memo (pdf - 73.746 KB)
- 2017-2019 Calendar of Key Midpoint Assessment Decisions to by Made by the WQGIT, MB, and PSC (1/17/17) (pdf - 518.507 KB)
- Revisions to Midpoint Assessment Schedule, PSC Approved 4.25.17 (pdf - 85.378 KB)
Publications
A systematic review of Chesapeake Bay climate change impacts and uncertainty: watershed processes, pollutant delivery and BMP performance
Published on January 21, 2022Climate change in the Chesapeake Bay will affect the effort to reach the TMDL, and maintain needed nutrient and sediment reductions. In an effort to determine how baseline nutrient and sediment loads will likely change in response to climate, and the best management practices (BMPs) being used to reduce them will function, a modified systematic review process was undertaken. Using this process we reviewed research literature and studies related to two primary questions: 1. How do climate change and variability affect nutrient/sediment cycling in the watershed?; and 2. How do climate change and variability affect BMP performance?
Acknowledgements:
We want to thank and acknowledge the incredibly helpful and constructive comments from Julie Reichert-Nguyen, our steering committee (Raymond Najjar, Julie Shortridge, Kurt Stephenson, Lisa Wainger) and other reviewers including Lew Linker, David Wood, Alex Gunnerson, and Ken Staver. We are also grateful to Gary Shenk and Denice Wardrop for their valuable input. We also wish to thank members of the various Chesapeake Bay Program Goal Implementation Teams and workgroups that listened, and provided valuable input in response, to the numerous presentations dating back to 2020, particularly the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team, Climate Resiliency Workgroup, Modeling Workgroup, and Urban Stormwater Workgroup.
Suggested Citation: Hanson, J., E. Bock, B. Asfaw, and Z.M. Easton. 2022. A systematic review of Chesapeake Bay climate change impacts and uncertainty: watershed processes, pollutant delivery and BMP performance. CBP/TRS-330-22.
View detailsUnderstanding Chesapeake Bay Modeling Tools
Published in ReportThe Chesapeake Bay Program uses state-of-the art science and monitoring data to replicate conditions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This information is then used by decision-makers at the federal, state and local levels to determine how best to restore and protect local waterways, and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay. By combining advanced modeling tools and real-world monitoring data, we gain a comprehensive view of the Chesapeake ecosystem—from the depths of the Bay to the upper reaches of the watershed.
View detailsAgricultural Ditch Management BMP expert panel report
Published on March 30, 2020WQGIT approved final report from the Agricultural Ditch Management Expert Panel.
View detailsRelated Links
WQGIT Archived Quarterly Newsletters
Link to archived WQGIT Quarterly Newsletters
Watershed Agreement
Vital Habitats Goal
Water Quality Goal
Toxic Contaminants Goal
Workgroups and Action Teams
Members
Ed Dunne (Chair), District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE)
1200 First Street NE
Washington D.C., districtOfColumbia 20002
Email: ed.dunne@dc.gov
Phone: 202-535-2990
Suzanne Trevena (Vice Chair), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 3
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, pennsylvania 19103
Email: trevena.suzanne@epa.gov
Phone: (215) 814-5701
Jeremy Hanson (Coordinator), Coordinator, Water Quality Goal Implementation Team, Chesapeake Research Consortium
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, maryland 21401
Email: hansonj@chesapeake.org
Phone: (410) 267-5753
Jackie Pickford (Staffer), Water Quality Goal Implementation Team Staffer, Chesapeake Research Consortium
Sushanth Gupta (Staffer), Water Quality Goal Implementation Team Staffer, Chesapeake Research Consortium
Lauren Townley, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Jill Whitcomb, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Marel King, Chesapeake Bay Commission
c/o Senate of Pennsylvania
G-05 North Office Building
Harrisburg, pennsylvania 17120
Email: mking@chesbay.us
Phone: (717) 772-3651
Dinorah Dalmasy, Maryland Department of the Environment
1800 Washington Boulevard
Baltimore, maryland 21230
Email: dinorah.dalmasy@maryland.gov
Phone: (410) 537-3699
Kevin Du Bois, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
1510 Gilbert Street
Norfolk, virginia 23511
Email: kevin.r.dubois.civ@us.navy.mil
Phone: (757) 650-2720
KC Filippino, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission
Emily Dekar, Upper Susquehanna Coalition
Joe Wood, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Jen Walls, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
89 Kings Highway
Dover, delaware 19901
Email: Jennifer.Walls@state.de.us
Phone: (302) 739-9062
George Onyullo, District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE)
Teresa Koon, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
601 57th St SE
Charleston, westVirginia 25304
Email: Teresa.M.Koon@wv.gov
Phone: (304) 926-0499 x1020
Lucinda Power, Implementation and Evaluation Team Leader, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, maryland 21401
Email: power.lucinda@epa.gov
Phone: (410) 267-5722