Boards & Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Plan
As of September 2017, Londonderry Township has completed the next step in the restoration effort of local water bodies and the Chesapeake Bay. This comes in the form of the Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Plan (CBPRP), an unfunded DEP mandate to meet the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements set by the federal government.
This plan sets a 5-year goal, from DEP’s approval of the CBPRP, to reduce pollution into our local waterways by installing Best Management Practices (BMPs). The township is required to reduce pollution caused from sediment by 10%, Phosphorus by 5%, and Nitrogen by 3%. It is assumed that by meeting the reduction in sediment pollution the phosphorus and nitrogen reductions will also be met, since these pollutants bind to soil particles. The current calculated sediment pollutant load (accounting for all previously installed BMPs) is 544,872 lbs/yr, meaning that the township is responsible for reducing this by 54,487 lbs/yr.
In order to meet these reduction goals, the township has developed a plan involving three projects for BMP implementation. The plans are preliminary and may change during the permit cycle if more feasible/cost effective projects are discovered. The current project list is made up of a stream restoration in the Conewago Creek (including 2 bioswales) and two detention basin retrofits. Between these three projects the calculated Load Reduction is 57,276 lbs/yr, slightly exceeding the required reduction for the 5-year permit. These projects are expected to cost around $290,000. Although implementation of CBPRP could be significant cost to the Township, the municipal staff and public works departments are proactively looking for ways to achieve pollutant load reductions and pursue grant opportunities to reduce the overall cost of achieving the required load reductions.
A copy of the CBPRP is available at the township office for viewing. If you have any questions/comments, please contact Tyler Erb (MS4/Environmental Specialist) at terb@londonderrypa.org or call 717-944-1803.
CB2017