Chesapeake Bay

Localities in Hampton Roads and HRPDC staff are working together to clean up the Chesapeake Bay through a variety of efforts:

Vice Chair and local government representative to the Chesapeake Bay Program's (CBP) Urban Stormwater Workgroup, at-large member of the Land Use Workgroup, Wastewater Treatment Workgroup, and the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team, and participant in other Bay Program partnership work groups. Links to all meetings can be found on the CBP's calendar page
Collaborate with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and partners to reduce loads of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment for the Chesapeake Bay TMDL
Participated in the Commonwealth's Phase III WIP effort to address loads in unregulated developed, septic, and forest sectors; conducted stakeholder meetings and produced a final report (PDF)
Coordination of the Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program between Phase I MS4 localities, USGS, and HRSD

Chesapeake Bay Current Events

As a part of the Beyond 2025 effort, the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement has been revised. Bay leaders agreed to a consolidation from 10 Goals to 4 and 31 Outcomes to 21. Draft comments were submitted to the Bay Program Office and a final document will be approved at the end of 2025.
The Land Use Workgroup, in partnership with the USGS and the Chesapeake Conservancy, released new land cover and land use data based on 2021/22 imagery. Data from each locality (2013/14, 2017/18, and 2021/22) can be downloaded here Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events , and also viewed either as static mapped data or as change products. A video tutorial is also available here Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events Chesapeake Bay Current Events .
The CBP's Local Government Advisory Committee developed a Local Government Guide to the Chesapeake Bay.
Track the goals and outcomes on the Chesapeake Progress website and explore data on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Data Dashboard.

The Commonwealth established the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area (CBPA) Designation and Management Regulations, which apply to all localities in Tidewater, in 1988.
CBPA programs and policies were adopted to protect and improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay by reducing nonpoint source pollution through effective land use management.
The intent of the Bay Act is to balance reasonable development interests and water quality improvement.
The regulatory amendments to incorporate the impacts of climate change and to include the preservation of mature trees became effective on September 29, 2021. The Tidewater localities have three years to incorporate the changes. HRPDC staff continue to serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Group convened by the Department of Environmental Quality to provide input on the implementation of the new requirements.
HRGEO houses the resource protection area (RPA) for all Hampton Roads localities subject to CBPA, and askHRgreen.org has new outreach materials for homeowners, realtors, and contractors. The updated website includes an informational video, a mapping application to help locate the RPA, and provides contact information for the local staff.