Chesapeake Bay Program
Federal Agencies'
Chesapeake Ecosystem
Unified Plan
November 5, 1998
WHEREAS, the Clean Water Action Plan charts a
course toward fulfilling the original goals of the
Clean Water Act and calk upon Federal agencies to
develop a unified policy to enhance watershed management in
which Federal, state, and local governments and the public
work together to identify critical problems, focus resources, rec-
ognize waters of exceptional value, include watershed goals in
Federal planning, and implement effective strategies to solve
problems; and
WHEREAS, as reported in the April 1997 Second Biennial
Progress Report of the 1994 Agreement of Federal Agencies on
Ecosystem Management in the Chesapeake Bay, the Federal
agency partners of the Chesapeake Bay Program have accom-
plished, and are committed to accomplish, the numerous goals
of that 1994 Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the community of Federal agencies with signed
formal Chesapeake Bay partnership agreements has expanded
to include 15 agencies dedicated to enhancing stewardship on
Federally-managed public lands, supporting cooperative state
and community implementation, and contributing expertise in
resource management, science and planning to achieve ecosys-
tem-based management; and
WHEREAS, the Chesapeake Bay Program's directives on
Nutrient Reduction, Habitat Restoration, Wetlands, and Ripar-
ian Forest Buffers, and its Local Government Participation
Action Plan and Community Watershed Initiative continue to
advance the Program as a national leader in the use of partner-
ships and sound science for targeting, developing and imple-
menting restoration and protection programs.
Now, therefore, we the undersigned representatives of the participating Federal agencies, establish the following unified
plan to meet the goals of the 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement and subsequent amendments and directives, and to build
on the achievements of the 1 994 Agreement of Federal Agencies on Ecosystem Management m the Chesapeake Bay, consistent
with our missions and our success in securing the necessary resources. Specifically, we further agree to be:
PARTNERS FOR THE CHESAPEAKE
creating new opportunities for Federal agencies to
work with states to carry out the commitments
of the Clean Water Action Plan. We commit to:
1. target Conservation Reserve Enhancement funds to Bay
watershed states in support of efforts to protect farmland
and forests and reduce nutrient inputs to the Chesapeake
Bay (USDA lead);
2. work to integrate opportunities to benefit the Bay through
existing Federal initiatives such as USDA's Environmental
Quality Incentives Program and the Wetlands Reserve pro-
gram (USDA lead);
3. support the development of state Unified Watershed Assess-
ments and Action Plans for Priority Watersheds;
4. encourage the development of permanent teams within
each Bay watershed state, comprised of Federal and state
officials with responsibilities for implementing the Clean
Water Action Plan;
5. promote the addition of new Federal partners, including
agencies that deal with transportation and other infrastruc-
ture; establish or update memoranda of understanding with
all Federal partners; and strengthen relationships among
existing partners through resource sharing and unified pro-
gram planning and implementation; and
6. develop and adopt a Bay Partner Facility program by March
1,1999, and seek the designation of at least 30 Federal facil-
ities as partners by December 31, 2000, and 60 Federal facil-
ities by December 31, 2005.
PROTECTORS OF
PRIORITY WATERSHEDS
targeting various Federal programs and resources to meet
the needs of priority watersheds, particularly those
designated by states under the Clean Water
Action Plan. We commit to:
1. support geographically-specific programs, such as the
Chesapeake Bay Program's Regions of Concern for toxics
and Nutrient Areas of Concern;
2. develop, by June 30, 1999, a mechanism to implement wet
weather pollution prevention on Federal facilities in the
Anacostia River and Rock Creek watersheds and transfer
these technologies to other appropriate Federal facilities and
urban areas (EPA lead);
3. implement the Biennial Federal Workplan for the Anacostia
River Watershed and provide biennial updates beginning in
June 30, 1999 (COE lead);
4. support the 18-point restoration plan for the Elisabeth River
through active participation in the programs and projects of
the Elizabeth River Coalition (COE lead); and
5. participate fully in the American Heritage Rivers Program
for the Potomac and Upper Susquehanna/Lackawanna
Rivers by: a) identifying relevant Federal landholdings by
December 31, 1998; b) establishing partnership agreements
with community-based efforts in the Heritage Rivers water-
sheds by April 30, 1999; c) and supporting directed applica-
tion of technical and funding resources to aid revitalization
efforts (EPA lead).
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STEWARDS OF THE BAY'S LIVING
RESOURCES AND HABITATS
supporting the restoration of Chesapeake Bay living
resources and their habitats by fully implementing
fish and wildlife conservation efforts and all
habitat restoration authorities on all lands,
including Federal lands, in the Bay watershed.
We commit to:
1. develop an inventory of habitat restoration needs on Federal
lands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to aid in the cre-
ation of an annual list of restoration priority areas, from
which two projects will be completed each year beginning in
2000 (NOAA lead);
2. support the Chesapeake Bay Program's Wetlands Directive
by assisting states in implementation of their strategies for
net gain of wetlands and establishing a restoration goal for
Federal facilities of 100 acres per year beginning in 2000
(EPA lead);
3. support conservation and restoration of stream corridors on
Federal lands by: a) establishing demonstration sites and
implementing restoration technology on three Federal facil-
ities by December 31, 1999 (USFWS lead); b) adopting
riparian area conservation policies for Federal lands by Sep-
tember 30, 2000 (USFS lead); c) adopting a stream assess-
ment and inventory protocol for Federal lands by May 31,
2000 and an inventory of stream systems on Federal lands by
January 1, 2005 (USFWS lead); and d) restoring 200 miles
of riparian forest buffers on Federal lands by January 1, 2010
(USFS lead);
4- identify additional blockages to anadromous fish on Federal
lands by December 31, 1999, and open priority blockages to
50 miles of streams by December 31, 2003 (NOAA lead);
5. identify 4 areas for aquatic reef siting at neat shore areas
adjacent to Federal facilities, in accordance with the Chesa-
peake Bay Program's Framework for Habitat Restoration
and the Aquatic Reef Habitat Plan, by December 31, 1999
(NOAA lead);
6. target priority areas for terrestrial and aquatic invasive
species control on Federal facilities by January 1, 2000 and
implement controls on priority sites (USFWS lead);
7. expand conservation landscaping on Federal facilities, in
keeping with the Presidential directive on beneficial land-
scaping, by: a) completing a Conservation Landscaping and
BayScapes Guide for Federal Land Managers by January 1,
2000; and b) integrating conservation landscaping into Fed-
eral agency specifications and design criteria by July 31,
2001 (USFWS lead);
8. develop model lease provisions by September 30, 1999 for
facilities, outleases, rights-of-way, and other Federal actions
to provide a means for Chesapeake Bay stewardship goals to
be considered in the issuance of leases by or to Federal agen-
cies within the watershed (GSA lead); and
9. work with slate conservation agencies to determine the
effects of nutria on tidal wedand loss and to evaluate meth-
ods of controlling this exotic species (USGS lead).
LEADERS IN NUTRIENT AND TOXICS
PREVENTION AND REDUCTION
ON FEDERAL LANDS AND FACILITIES
working to meet and maintain the nutrient and toxics prevention
and reduction goals of the Chesapeake Bay Program, with an
emphasis on non-point source controls, and extending
our efforts beyond year 2000. We commit to:
1. provide technical assistance and training for Federal land-
holders for development of nutrient management plans by
December 31, 1999 (NRCS lead), and develop nutrient
management plans for Federal lands within the watershed
by December 31, 2000, emphasizing agricultural, construc-
tion, turf, golf course and recreation, and developed lands;
2. assess the performance of Federal on-site septic systems and
adopt management plans for priority improvements by
December 31, 2000 (USPS lead);
3. expand our existing Chesapeake Bay Program Federal facil-
ity site assessment protocol beyond nutrients to include tox-
ics reduction and habitat restoration opportunities, and
continue to complete at least five such assessments annually
within the Bay watershed (NRCS lead);
4. ensure, by December 31, 2000, that personnel are trained to
strengthen and implement comprehensive Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) on 75% of all Federally-owned lands in
the watershed, and establish a peer review panel to evaluate
at least five Federal IPM plans annually (USDA lead);
5. implement pollution prevention and related technologies to
achieve, by January 1, 2000, a 75% voluntary reduction
from a 1994 baseline in releases of Chesapeake Bay Toxics of
Concern and chemicals required for reporting under section
313(c) of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-
to-Know Act for Federal facilities in the Chesapeake Bay
basin (EPA lead);
6. establish, by January 1, 2000, participation of 30 Federal
facilities as mentors in the Chesapeake Bay Program's Busi-
nesses for the Bay to implement pollution prevention initia-
tives (DoD lead); and
7. compile and provide information on the reported occur-
rence of toxics in wildlife in the Bay ecosystem by January 1,
2003 (USGS lead).
GUARDIANS OF HUMAN HEALTH
focusing renewed efforts on the protection of human health
through actions we take to control the effects of harmful
pollutants in the Bay watershed. We commit to:
1. coordinate Federal funding and response systems in support
of state and local efforts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
for major events, including Pfiesteria-type outbreaks and
other harmful algal blooms (NOAA lead);
2. support and target research and monitoring efforts on the
relation of harmful microorganisms such as Pfxesteria to
aquatic resources and human health (NOAA lead) and the
effects of other physical and biological stressors on fin fish
and shellfish (USGS lead);
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3. provide preliminary identification of nitrate levels over the
maximum drinking water contaminant level in shallow
aquifers throughout the watershed by January 1. 2001
(USGS lead);
4. identify closed shellfish beds adjacent to Federal lands in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed by December 31, 1998 and par-
ticipate in re-opening priority areas by January 1, 2005
(NOAA lead);
5. locate releases of toxics from Federal facilities in the Chesa-
peake Bay watershed, with priority on drainage areas where
fish consumption advisories exist, and work cooperatively to
address these releases by December 31,2000 (EPA lead); and
6. work with local governments to address pollution from
storm drain outfalls on Federal lands that pose a human
health risk through exposure by inhalation, ingestion, or
body contact such as swimming (EPA lead).
PROVIDERS OF RESEARCH,
ASSESSMENT, AND
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
assuring "state-of-the-art" technical support for Chesapeake Bay
Program partners, ranking research needs, and identifying
requirements to develop new technobgies. We commit to:
1. sign Memoranda of Agreements to make Chesapeake Bay-
related data and information Internet accessible by all Bay
Program partners through the Chesapeake Information
Management System by July 1, 1999 (EPA lead);
2. complete, by March 1,1999, a Bay watershed-wide assessment
of potential levels of nutrient loadings (USDA lead) and water
quality parameters (USGS lead) that support the identifica-
tion of Nutrient Areas of Concern and serve as a basis for
strengthening the ability of local and state jurisdictions to
achieve their tributary basins' nutrient reduction goals;
3. complete an inventory, by January 1, 2000, of current
science-based technology available for implementation to
achieve the agricultural component of Bay nutrient reduc-
tion goals (USDA lead), and identify the sources that
restrict the production of submerged aquatic vegetation and
associated habitat in the middle and upper Bay and tidal
tributaries (USGS lead);
4. define and assess, by January 1, 2003, the contribution and
Implications of nitrogen compound emissions (e.g., ammo-
nia) from agricultural activities; and develop models that
characterize the transport of emissions and deposition of
these compounds (NOAA lead);
5. provide an assessment, by July 1, 2000, of the amount of
nutrients and associated lag times in ground water, and of
implications for adjustments to tributary strategies' nutrient
reduction goals, and identify follow-up research needs to
further address management needs by January 1, 2002
(USGS lead);
6. develop an index of river flow, by January 1, 2001, and other
tools to document the long-term changes in water quality,
living resources, and sea-level rise (USGS lead);
7. develop an index that demonstrates the changes in climate
affecting the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, as needed to refine
restoration strategies by January 1, 2003 (NOAA lead);
8. conduct research and provide information needed to iden-
tify species and habitats on Federal lands in need of special
management efforts to maintain biodiversity and the
integrity of the Chesapeake ecosystem by January 1, 2003
(USGS lead); and
9. complete an analysis of forest distribution and condition in
the Chesapeake Bay watershed and host a regional confer-
ence to discuss issues related to fragmentation of forest land-
scape by January 1, 2000 (USFS lead).
SUPPORTERS OF SMART GROWTH
identifying and implementing new mechanisms to avoid
development patterns that increase pollution problems,
to encourage redevelopment of urban areas, and to
raise the quality of life. We commit to:
1. evaluate and implement alternative work practices and
other policies of Federal agencies in the watershed to reduce
vehicle miles traveled (EPA lead);
2. promote funding for research into the effects of road'and
highway construction on growth and development within
the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and on increasing storm
water flow and inputs of nutrients and toxics to the Bay and
its tributaries, including air pollution and land use changes
(FHWA lead);
3. give preference to re-use and recycling of Federal brownfield
sites, and discourage development in greenfteld sites (EPA lead);
4. fully cooperate with local governments, states, and other
Federal agencies in carrying out voluntary and mandatory
actions to comply with the management of storm water
(EPA lead);
5. encourage construction design that: a) minimizes natural area
loss on new and rehabilitated Federal facilities; b) adopts low
impact development and best management technologies for
storm water, sediment and erosion control, and reduces
impervious surfaces; c) utilizes energy efficient technologies;
and d) considers the Conservation Landscaping and Bay-
Scapes Guide for Federal Land Managers (GSA lead);
6. develop, by January 1, 2000, a protocol by which Federal facil-
ities proposed for relocation or major expansion within the
Chesapeake Bay watershed will assess the direct and secondary
ecological, economic, and community effects (DoD lead);
7. increase public access to the Chesapeake Bay, with at least
200 additional miles of Federally-owned shoreline and tidal
waters opened or enhanced for public access by January 1,
2005, and participate in the development of water trails to
improve access and appreciation of the Bay and its resources
(NPS lead); and
8. establish annual meetings, beginning in 1999, with the
Office of Management and Budget to assess regional im-
pacts associated with major Federally-funded actions in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed (EPA lead).
Finally, we agree to supplement our biennial reporting on the 1994 Agreement of Federal Agencies on Ecosystem Management in
the Chesapeake Bay with progress in the implementation of this new unified plan, beginning April 1, 1999 (EPA lead).
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FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
use
Carol M. Browner, Administrator
Jonathan C. Fox, Assistant Administrator
fdr Water
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
W (Michael McCabe, Regional Administrator,
Region III
ski, Director, Chesapeake
3 ay tWtgram Office
Bruce Babbitt, Secretary
Donald J. Barty. Assistant Secretary for
Fish & Wildlife oSBbrfcs *
3atricia J. Boneke, Assistant So
Patricia J.
Water & Science
Secretary for
FOR THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
FOR THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
FOR THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
-iSs"
Jamid Rappaport vJlark, Director
jdk
7 The
Thomas J. Casadevall, Acting Director
Qj
^nv Robert G. ptanton.
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FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Sherri \W-Gebdmari, Deputy Under Secretary of
Defense far Environmental Security
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
Robert B. Pirie, Jr., Assistant Secretary for
Installations and Environment
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Westphsd^teBtffiit Secretary for Civil Works
Manron Apgar 1% Assistant Secretary for
Installations, Logistics and Environment
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
by B. DeMesme, Assistant Secretary for Manpower,
Reserve Affairs, Installations, and Environment
FOR THE DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Director
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
FOR THE US. COAST GUARD
FOR THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND
ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
D. James $dker, Administrator
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FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
US DA
James R. Lyons, Under Secreigfy for Natural
Resources & Environment
FOR THE FARM SERVICE AGENCY
USDA
Keith C7 Kelly, Administrator
FOR THE US. FOREST SERVICE
Michael E Dombeck, Chief
FOR THE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION
SERVICE
USDA
Pearlie S. Reed, Chief
JiL
FOR THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
David J, Barram, Administrator
FOR THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
FOR THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
uNrmostates William J. Hendeison, Postmaster General
posmsovKE- and Chkf Executive Officer *.
FOR THE NATIONAL CAPITAL PLANNING COMMISSION
FOR THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
I. Michael Heyman, The Secretary
2?
JjEs'Zl
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