Chesapeake Bay begins conservation projects to improve water quality

Mills said USDA has been working with other federal agencies under President Obama’s Chesapeake Bay executive order to assist farmers in using these technologies for reducing nitrogen and sediment flows into the bay. She said these projects will help farmers in the bay area to reach the EPA’s water quality edicts, or Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established TMDL regulations by setting limitations on the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients and sediment going into the Chesapeake Bay. 

According to information from the EPA, more than 40,000 TMDLs have been completed across the United States, but the Chesapeake Bay TMDL is the largest and most complex. It is designed to achieve significant reductions in nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution throughout a 64,000-square-mile watershed that includes the District of Columbia and large sections of six states.

“We think that 21st century conservation is going to be largely driven by farmers and ranchers to be tremendous stewards of the land,” Mills said. “Regardless of what other federal agencies are doing, we think conservation is here to stay and we think it’s an important part of the nation’s food security and water security. As we all know, farmers and ranchers care deeply about their resources and they’re always going to want to do what’s right by the land.”

For more information about the Chesapeake Bay Watershed CIG’s go here.