THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN - A Brief Description
THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
POLLUTION PROBLEMS
THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER COMPACT
TOTAL DAILY MAXIMUM LOAD -
THE CHESAPEAKE BAY TMDL : RECENT UPDATES - New Information!
TMDL & CHENANGO COUNTY SWCD AND NRCS FIELD OFFICE

THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN
The Susquehanna River spans 444 miles in length and drains approximately 27,500 square miles through three states, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The Susquehanna River Basin is the second largest east of the Mississippi River and the largest on the Atlantic Seaboard. In the headwaters, there are two major branches of the Susquehanna River; the North and West Branch. The North Branch begins at Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York and meanders through the Southern Tier and into Pennsylvania. The West Branch originates in the hills of the Allegheny Mountains, flows through the central region of Pennsylvania until the two branches converge in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. In New York State, the Susquehanna River Basin encompasses 14 counties with over 8,185 miles of rivers and streams and 130 significant lakes (>6.4 acres), and reservoirs. 1
The Susquehanna River is an important water body because it contributes nearly one-half of the Chesapeake Bay's freshwater supply. As such, a significant portion of the phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment pollution in the Chesapeake Bay originates within the Susquehanna River Basin. 1

THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States spanning 200 miles in length with over 11,684 miles of shoreline. The Bay's width ranges from 3.4 miles near Aberdeen, Maryland to 35 miles adjacent to the mouth of the Potomac River. The average depth of the Bay, including all the tidal tributaries, is relatively shallow at 21 feet. The surface area of the Chesapeake and its tidal tributaries is about 4,480 square miles. 2
As an estuary, fresh water and salt water mix to become part of an extremely productive and complex ecosystem. The Bay supplies millions of pounds of seafood, provides natural habitat for wildlife, offers a variety of recreational activities, and is a major center for shipping and commerce. Oysters and blue crabs are two major delicacies that are fished from the Bay. In 2001, the value of commercial shellfish and finfish harvests totaled to almost $175 million. The Bay also provides habitat to thousands of plant and animal species. Waterfowl and other migratory birds find food and shelter in the Bay area while some winter in the Bay itself. The tidal freshwater tributaries provide spawning and nursery sites for several fish species include the white and yellow perch, striped bass, herring and shad. During the warmer months, marine fish, including the bluefish, weakfish, croaker, menhaden, flounder, and spot enter the Bay area to feed on its rich food supply. 2

POLLUTION PROBLEMS
Data collected from the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay show that it has poor water quality, degraded habitats and fish and shellfish populations are decreasing. The Bay and the rivers that contribute to the bay have high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment. These pollutants cause cloudy water, algal blooms, low oxygen levels and decreased aquatic grasses. These all lead to poor fish habitat, places restrictions on recreational usages and fish consumption, and lessens the quality of drinking water supplies. The suspected sources of these pollutants are from agricultural runoff, urban and suburban runoff, municipal sewage, and airborne contaminants.

THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN COMPACT
The Susquehanna River Basin Compact was developed to address the pollution problems its impacts on the Chesapeake Bay. The compact was signed into law, by the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the federal government on December 24, 1970. The compact resulted in the creation of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) and established its multi-state authority. The SRBC is an agency that coordinates management efforts and oversight of the river basin between the federal government and each state with the basin. The members of Commission include a federal representative, which is appointed by the President of the United States and a designee of the governor from each member state.
The SRBC acts in planning efforts and management of the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin. "The Commission acts to reduce damages caused by floods, provide for the reasonable and sustained development and use of surface and ground water for municipal, agricultural, recreations, commercial and industrial purposes; protect and restore fisheries, wetlands, and aquatic habitat; protect water quality and in stream uses; and ensure availability of flows to the Chesapeake bay."3

TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD (TMDL)
A TMDL is the amount of a specific pollutant A total maximum daily load is an allowable amount of a pollutant that can enter a waterbody, from both point and non-point sources, while still maintaining good water quality standards. The TMDL is based on the premise that each water resource (lake, stream, river, etc.) can assimilate a certain amout of pollutants and keep functioning in a healthy manner. The Clean Water Act, enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), requires all states and territories to list impaired and threatened waters and develop a TMDL to improve water quality of a specific watershed. The process in developing a TMDL relies upon the collection of reliable data to indentify pollution sources and then determine their pollution loads. Based upon the data collected, allocations and limits on discharges can be made for each pollution source.4 These allocations, which are based upon localized watersheds, may affect municipal sewage treatment facilities, the agricultural community, residential and urban property, and other industrial facilities.
For more information, visit the SRBC website at www.srbc.net

THE CHESAPEAK BAY TMDL: RECENT UPDATES

The Upper Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay Pollution Diet

Table 1. NY delivered load allocations for N, P, and Sediment based on model predictions

Nitrogen Delivered to Bay (lbs/year)	Phosphorus Delivered to Bay (lbs/year)	Sediment Delivered to Bay (lbs/year)	Year
10,947,653	801,589	337,266,496	2009 (Current)
9,642,230	660,057	310,683,034	2017 Allocation (60% of Goal)
8,771,948	565,702	292,960,727	2025 Allocation (Goal)

Utilizing a complex computer model, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Chesapeake Bay Program developed a total annual load allocation for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sediment, by state, that it considers to be the maximum quantities that the Chesapeake Bay can receive and meet water quality standards. This is called a Total Maximum Daily Load or "TMDL". It is like a pollution diet for the Bay.

In mid-December, 2010 EPA officials accepted the state's Watershed Implementation Plan (Plan) to reduce nutrients in agricultural runoff, urban stormwater, and sewage treatment plant effluent in New York's portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed as shown in the above table. New York's final Phase I Plan will result in loads that are 14% under, and 5% and 2% over the EPA's sediment, N and P allocations, respectively. The EPA accepted New York's plans for addressing agricultural runoff and the state's current permitting system for urban sewer systems. However, the EPA closed the gaps between New York's Plan and EPA allocations with an aggregate backstop for permitted waste treatment facilities. Under the final plan, EPA calculated waste load allocations using the N and P performance levels that New York committed to, but assumes that significant wastewater treatment plants are at current flow rather than design flow. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) will have to review the treatment plants' permits during the next phase of the TMDL and may have to make adjustments depending on how the plants meet their individual pollution limits. Regardless of sector, the EPA will regularly monitor the state's programs to make sure they implement the pollution control plans, remain on schedule for meeting water quality goals and achieve two-year milestones. This oversight will include program review, objecting to permits, and targeting compliance and enforcement actions as necessary to meet water quality goals.

New York will be required to submit Phase II of the Plan in June of 2011. In the second phase, the EPA has suggested nutrient and sediment allocations be set at the county or small watershed scale. The Upper Susquehanna Coalition of Conservation Districts (USC) will be making the case to the NYSDEC and EPA that a robust Plan can be developed without having to subject each county to an allocation. Instead we propose a basin-wide approach, with watershed teams, cooperation between counties, and targeting the best projects in the optimal locations to minimize costs while maximizing reductions to the Bay. This is the approach that has been used successfully over the past decade.

In the short term, the USC, NYSDEC and other agencies will begin implementing the Plan, tracking progress and reporting to EPA. Results over the next few years will determine if there needs to be changes in the Plan to meet the TMDL. If you have any questions please feel free to contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District or visit www.u-s-c.org for links to information about the Chesapeake Bay Program.

THE CHESAPEAKE BAY TMDL: AFFECT ON THE CHENANGO COUNTY SWCD AND THE NRCS FIELD OFFICE
The Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have been implementing best management practices since it's inception to limit agricultural runoff and pollution from entering nearby waterways and major rivers. The District continues to work with farmers to implement practices and find funding to collect, store, and treat agricultural wastes and by-products, assist farmers to establish grazing systems, assist landowners in stabilizing stream bank erosion, as well as implement many other conservation practices to lessen the amount of agricultural nutrient pollution from entering the watershed.
Because of the TMDL, more funding sources, on both the State and federal level, will become available to the SWCD and NRCS, as well as other agencies and individuals. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), through the 2008 Farm Bill, instituted the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI), as a component of the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) to provide assistance to producers in priority areas of the Upper Susquehanna Watershed. The focus is to implement conservation practices for livestock waste, cropland and grazing land resource concerns.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) has announced a request for proposals for Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction projects to support approaches to expand the knowledge on the most cost effective and sustainable approaches to reduce or eliminate nutrient and sediment pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.