Building a Community Clean Water Toolbox: How PA Will Meet its Goals

Nearly 200 leaders from county conservation districts, agriculture, municipal governments, environmental groups, water companies and other sectors convened on April 10 for a workshop on Pennsylvania's plan to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Participants shared their expertise and helped develop the Community Clean Water Toolbox to draft policy ideas and suggestions to help the state meet its Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) pollution reduction goals by 2025.

The workshop also highlighted planning, engagement, resource, tracking and implementation tools that counties can use to develop and carry out action plans to reduce pollution runoff. Pilot counties—Lancaster, York, Adams and Franklin—will lead development and create their plans by October before the toolbox is refined and extended across Pennsylvania.