5 Things You Should Know About the D.C. Milestone Assessment
Chesapeake Bay states and the District of Columbia have come together in an unprecedented regional effort to, "Save the Bay," and reduce pollution in our local rivers and creeks. To ensure restoration efforts remain on track, each of the six Bay states and Washington, D.C., committed to two-year pollution reduction goals or "milestones."
The 2012/2013 D.C. Milestone Assessment evaluates the District's progress towards meeting its short-term pollution reduction goals, with the ultimate goal of achieving 60% implementation in 2017 and 100% implementation in 2025. Potomac Conservancy produced the report in partnership with the Choose Clean Water Coalition and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Review key takeaways from the Assessment below, and if you agree that clean water is a priority for our local leaders, please sign our petition to ask the District of Columbia's Mayoral Candidates to fully implement and enforce clean water plans. Sign the petition >
5 key takeaways from the Assessment:
1. Washington, D.C., has exceeded 2013 goals for four out of the six practices selected for evaluation. It compensated for its two unachieved milestones by far-exceeding goals in other, more efficient, practices.
2. The District will need to account for substantial commitments remaining in impervious surface reductions, tree planting, and urban stream restoration.
3. The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) has developed ambitious milestone goals for 2015 that will encourage significant progress toward D.C.’s 2025 goals.
4. Washington, D.C., has already exceeded its 2025 nitrogen-reduction goals by 220 percent; however, the District has only secured 4 percent of its 2017 nitrogen reduction goal from urban runoff. Though D.C. has met its 2025 nitrogen reductions through wastewater treatment, it must accelerate efforts to address the greater challenge of polluted runoff.
5. Based on EPA data, nitrogen and sediment load reductions from the urban sector are not on track to meet the long-term goals.
Read the full report on Washington, D.C. clean water efforts:
2012/2013 D.C. Milestone Assessment, full report >
Sign a clean water petition to hold D.C. leaders accountable: