Full document / COSOC-W-86-002 - the National Sea Grant Library

544
Estuarine andCoastal Management-Tools ofthe Abstract only
Trade. Proceedings of theTenth National Conference
of TheCoastal Society. October 12-15,1986. New
Orleans. LA. Copyright byThe Coastal Society
1987.
ANEW DIMENSION TOTHE PLANNING PROGRAM- PHASED
Victoria P. Bittern'
Water Management Division
Region III
U.S.Environmental Protection Agency
841Chestnut Building
Philadelphia. PA 19107
Therenewed commitment torestoration of theChesapeake Bay evidenced inthesigning
of theChesapeake Bay Agreement in 1983, was followed bytheinitiation of theImplementation
Phase andthedevelopment of the Restoration and Protection Plan. Achievement of the goals
embodied inthe Agreement and the Plan must accommodate institutional and geographic diversity,
die complexity of the natural system, and expected continued population growth and accompanying
demands on resources.
TheChesapeake Bay Agreement states and participating federal agencies are undertaking a
refined application of theprinciples ofimplementation embodied inthePlan. Phase IIisBay-wide
inscope but specific initsobjectives. Water quality and habitat goals will derive from quantitative
requirements ofliving resources. Hydrodynamic and waterquality modeling will beused toguide
the determination ofnutrient load capacities for specific geographic areas of the Bay and itsmajor
tributaries. A strategy for toxics control focuses on the implementation of current toxicity
assessment and reduction policies. Technological and management alternatives for achieving point
and non-point source load reductions will be evaluated systematically, both in terms of
effectiveness and cost.
The products of Phase II,aquantified, comprehensive assessment of themagnitude of the
clean-up effort and themeans and resources required toeffect it,willenable managers to formulate
courses of action thatcan accommodate thepressures of population growth without sacrificing the
health ofthe Bay.