States to be held more accountable for nutrient pollution

The shape of things to come:

By Karl Blankenship

States could be halted from issuing new discharge permits, while farmers, local governments-and even lawn owners-could be affected under a new federal plan to crack down on Bay pollution.....An EPA report says that two decades of voluntary cost-share and regulatory efforts had been insufficient to restore the Chesapeake's heath and were "not likely to be sufficient to ensure restoration of the Bay in a reasonable period of time."
The plan is a two-pronged approach. It would hold states accountable for nutrient reduction progress and would expand regulatory authority to force greater reductions from specific sources of pollution, such as stormwater and animal feedlots.
If states fall short, the EPA does not have direct authority to regulate nonpoint sources. Instead, the report suggests that the agency would crack down on activities that require permits to make up any shortfall in reductions from farms, septic systems and other largely unregulated sources of pollution. The agency believes the threat of further restrictions on regulated dischargers-which have already achieved the greatest reductions of any sector-would spur states to put adequate nonpoint source programs in place.

"Generally speaking, it will be very expensive to further reduce loadings from municipal and industrial wastewater dischargers" below limits already established, the report said. But it added that if states don't control other sources of pollution "such further reductions from municipal and industrial dischargers may be necessary."

Ordering further reductions for those facilities, the report said, could cost municipal treatment plants across the watershed $6.8 billion, and industries $246 million. >>See More

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