HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — The City of Harrisonburg’s Public Works Department is currently accepting comments on the Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan. The deadline for comments is May 14.

The City has revised its third phase of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Action Plan. A TMDL quantifies the maximum amount of pollutants a waterway can carry and the amount of each pollutant that must be reduced to stay within this limit. The Chesapeake Bay TMDL covers two pollutants: nitrogen and phosphorous.

The second phase of the Action Plan was completed in 2023, when the City reduced three pollutants by 35 percent. The third phase outlines how the City will meet the required 60 percent additional reductions needed for full compliance by 2028.

The revisions include a description of pollutant loads from new sources, an updated list of planned Best Management Practices (BMPs) to be implemented during the 2023–2028 permit cycle, clearer location data for planned BMPs, and clearer references to each methodology being used for completed and planned BMPs including example calculations where applicable. BMPs are strategies and techniques used to manage environmental impacts, particularly related to water quality and stormwater runoff, in a cost-effective and practical manner.

The public comment period allows community members to comment on the additional BMPs proposed in the second phase as well as a chance to express any concerns about the plan. Members of the community are encouraged to review the plan online and ask City staff questions for additional information. A summary of comments received will be included in the plan as well as any revisions made to the Action Plan as a result of public participation.

Comments on the Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan can be submitted in writing to Keith Thomas at stormwater@harrisonburgva.gov or by mail to 320 E. Mosby Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22801. The deadline for comments is May 14.