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Town council sinks into Chesapeake Bay issues

Tuesday, May. 10 by Laura Peters | 0 comments | Email this story

Leesburg will do their part in cleaning up the mess that Virginia and other neighboring states
have created in the Chesapeake Bay. Leesburg has two years to reduce pollution in the bay.

The May 9 Town Council meeting was flooded with funding options to address the Chesapeake
Bay Total Maximum Daily Load or TMDL, a “pollution diet” aimed at reducing pollution in the
bay. This reduction is mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and applies to the
entirety of the Commonwealth.

David Bulova, senior environmental planner for AMEC Earth and Environmental, Inc.
presented plans and requirements to council on what needs to be done for the Total Maximum
Daily Load requirements.

In November 2010, Virginia submitted a revised plan to the EPA, and now officials have until
July of 2013 to start with phase two of the plan. The TDML “diet” requires three five-year permit
cycles.

The next cycle will require a 5 percent reduction of phosphorous, nitrogen, and sediment in the
bay, and plans must begin by July 2013. The second period calls for an additional 30 percent
reduction, totaling 35 percent, while the third calls for the remaining reduction adding up to
100 percent.

According to Bulova, the town would need to develop scenarios to meet the full reduction within Most Popular in News
the first permit cycle. Also, he said they would need to identify and implement specific controls Tuesday, May. 10 | 4938 views
to meet that 5 percent reduction. Accident claims life of 8-year-old
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“Right now under the permit, you’re not required to do anything new,” Bulova said. “You’re not Friday, May. 6 | 3702 views
required until July of 2013.” Sexual abuse of a minor lands
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Bulova guarenteed the council that when July of 2013, they will need to do something to meet sentence
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At the end of the first cycle, the town must submit a conceptual plan for the next cycle of 35 safe in North Carolina
percent reduction.
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Some advantages that the Town of Leesburg has over other jurisdictions is that they have a street brutal attack on wife
sweeping program that is eligible for credit.
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The Chesapeake Research Consortium are currently developing a methodology to assign local
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pollutant reduction allocations, meaning, they are still determining how the town will be
credited for reductions.

During their first cycle, the town also needs to identify and implement specific controls to meet
the 5 percent reduction. The town must also demonstrate the ability to fund chosen controls, Stay
according to Bulova. Connected

Another Leesburg advantage is that there are several existing flood control facilities that have
the potential to be modified for water quality control at a smaller price, according to Bulova.

Another good thing that Loudoun County and Leesburg have, according to Bulova is that The
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fact that both Loudoun and Leesburg maintain control over most of the roads will pay off in the on Twitter
long run accordign to Bulova. Neighboring Fairfax County has most of their roads run by the News | Sports
Virginia Department of Transportation.

Some challenges Bulova pointed out is that street sweeping doesn’t get a lot of credit, and to
qualify, the town may need to increase the frequencies of them.
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He also said, additional nutrient management planning will be needed, but it won’t be counted on Facebook
toward the reductions needed. News | Sports
“The model already assumes you are going to do it, so you don’t get any credit for it,” Bulova
said.
There will be no credit towards the town for any reductions placed before July 1, 2009, Bulova
said. Subscribe
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One potential control strategy, according to Bulova is to take credit for street sweeping, install News | Sports
tree box filters, convert 40 percent of existing dry ponds to control for water quality and install
bio-retention, like rain gardens. These installations would help with excess runoff that carries
sediments to the bay.

The control strategy needs to cover 922 acres. The question is where those acres would come Join Our
from. According to Leesburg Town Manager, John Wells, the acres can come from a variety of Email List
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locations including easements presented to the town or various areas within the town, but need weekly updates
to cover that acreage by 2018.

Bulova estimated that over the 15 years of these reductions—which includes the acreage
coverage provided in the control strategy—may cost roughly $34 million. But, it could cost more
or less, depending on how things are done, according to Wells.

Wells also asked for residents not to focus on the total dollar amount just yet. It’s just a scenario,
he said, and the town is just now in the midst of putting a plan together.
Bulova said the biggest TMDL challenge facing Leesburg is with stormwater.
The Loudoun Times-Mirror

“Your problem is primarily in the velocity of stormwater,” Bulova said. “Most of the impacts are
on downstreams [because of stormwater].”
is an interactive, digital replica
One method of funding stormwater improvements would be using a utility fee much like paying of the printed newspaper.
for sewer and water services, which has been done in Rockville, Md. By using a utility fee, Open the e-edition now.
instead of a real estate tax approach would be cheaper by almost $4,000.

But, Bulova said the first thing the town should do is inform the public. View our other print publications available online.

“You need to involve your community,” Bulova said. “The first thing people are going to ask is,
‘why are we doing this?’ You need to inform the public before the funding process [begins].”

Bulova outlined his proposal: the town should create a communications plan, an advisory board
and policy papers. He also said the town should define the problems and issues, have program
development and create funding options and recommendations. Weekly Hello Loudoun Taste
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“We need to determine the education process and get started on this,” Council member Katie
Hammler said. “We need to determine how to lobby other types of goverment if necessary. We
need to start doing this now, and put a system in place.”

The majority of council members seemed to be on board with the project and getting the public
informed. Bridal Future Health
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“My initial reaction is to get council votes and then get a plan, and lay out a broader game plan,”
Wells said. “We also need to understand what we will get credit for and what we won’t. Before
we vote, I think there’s further guidance [needed] to put the framework out for various groups.
The purpose of the night was what are the questions ... now we need to focus on how do we get
the answers.” Summer Home Historic Downtown
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“The staff would like to bring a couple options for a game plan in engaging community groups
to take that message out to implement this,” Wells said.

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