Water Quality Goal Implementation Team (GIT 3)
The Water Quality Goal Implementation Team works to evaluate, focus and accelerate the implementation of practices, policies and programs that will restore water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries to conditions that support living resources and protect human health.
Upcoming Meetings
Beyond 2025 Office Hours for Water Quality Outcomes (WQGIT)
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 from 10:00am - 12:00pmWater Quality Goal Implementation Team (GIT 3) Meeting - January 2025
Monday, January 27, 2025 from 1:00pm - 4:00pmWater Quality Goal Implementation Team (GIT 3) Meeting - February 2025
Monday, February 24, 2025 from 1:00pm - 4:00pmScope and Purpose
The charge of the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team (WQGIT) is to evaluate, focus, and accelerate the implementation of practices, policies, programs that will restore water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries to conditions that support living resources and protect human health. The Team reports to the Management Board and Principals’ Staff Committee. Functions include:
- Provide a forum for discussion, exchange of information, and evaluation among federal, state, and local agencies, river basin commissions, industry groups, universities, and other interested parties on water quality goals, data, modeling, authorities, and restoration efforts.
- Evaluate and promote strategies to reduce nutrient, sediment, and chemical contaminant loads from municipal, industrial and onsite wastewater; agricultural lands and animal operations; urban and suburban stormwater; forested lands; tidal and in-stream sediment; and air emissions.
- Promote consistent, uniform and transparent processes to model, track, report, and verify water quality restoration efforts.
- Identify, define, quantify, and incorporate pollutant reduction and conservation practices into the Chesapeake Bay Program decision support system.
- Provide technical expertise and leadership to support the development, implementation, and tracking of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, Watershed Implementation Plans, and two-year milestones that support long-term Bay restoration goals.
Projects and Resources
Phase 7 Model Development
Evolving plans and related documents can be found on the Chesapeake Bay Program's Phase 7 Model Development webpage.
WQGIT Governance Protocols, Membership, and Orientation Materials
The WQGIT Governance Protocols articulate the decision-making procedures and cross-sector communication processes observed by the WQGIT and its Workgroups. The WQGIT Governance Protocols are consistent with the governance decisions made by the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership's Principals' Staff Committee
BMP Expert Panels and Review Protocol
The seven Chesapeake Bay watershed jurisdictions implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) to achieve the goals set forth in the 2010 Bay TMDL. Through the Protocol for Development, Review, and Approval of Loading and Effectiveness Estimates for Nutrient and Sediment Controls (BMP Protocol), newer practices and technologies are considered and evaluated for inclusion in the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership modeling tools.
Phase III WIP Expectations
On January 18, EPA released its Interim Phase III WIP expectations document which is intended to support the development and implementation of the jurisdictions’ Phase III WIPs and to assist the jurisdictions with stakeholder engagement during WIP development. EPA intends to further modify the sections on accounting for growth, Conowingo Dam, and climate change to incorporate decisions made by the Principals’ Staff Committee at their Spring 2017 retreat.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Data Dashboard
The Watershed Data Dashboard is a visualization tool to consolidate and provide accessibility to Chesapeake Bay watershed monitoring, modeling, trends, projections and explanations for use in watershed management planning and implementation.
Access the WIP Data Dashboard here: https://gis.chesapeakebay.net/wip/dashboard/
Publications
A systematic review of Chesapeake Bay climate change impacts and uncertainty: watershed processes, pollutant delivery and BMP performance
Published on January 21, 2022Climate change in the Chesapeake Bay will affect the effort to reach the TMDL, and maintain needed nutrient and sediment reductions. In an effort to determine how baseline nutrient and sediment loads will likely change in response to climate, and the best management practices (BMPs) being used to reduce them will function, a modified systematic review process was undertaken. Using this process we reviewed research literature and studies related to two primary questions: 1. How do climate change and variability affect nutrient/sediment cycling in the watershed?; and 2. How do climate change and variability affect BMP performance?
Acknowledgements:
We want to thank and acknowledge the incredibly helpful and constructive comments from Julie Reichert-Nguyen, our steering committee (Raymond Najjar, Julie Shortridge, Kurt Stephenson, Lisa Wainger) and other reviewers including Lew Linker, David Wood, Alex Gunnerson, and Ken Staver. We are also grateful to Gary Shenk and Denice Wardrop for their valuable input. We also wish to thank members of the various Chesapeake Bay Program Goal Implementation Teams and workgroups that listened, and provided valuable input in response, to the numerous presentations dating back to 2020, particularly the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team, Climate Resiliency Workgroup, Modeling Workgroup, and Urban Stormwater Workgroup.
Suggested Citation: Hanson, J., E. Bock, B. Asfaw, and Z.M. Easton. 2022. A systematic review of Chesapeake Bay climate change impacts and uncertainty: watershed processes, pollutant delivery and BMP performance. CBP/TRS-330-22.
View detailsUnderstanding Chesapeake Bay Modeling Tools
Published in ReportThe Chesapeake Bay Program uses state-of-the art science and monitoring data to replicate conditions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This information is then used by decision-makers at the federal, state and local levels to determine how best to restore and protect local waterways, and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay. By combining advanced modeling tools and real-world monitoring data, we gain a comprehensive view of the Chesapeake ecosystem—from the depths of the Bay to the upper reaches of the watershed.
View detailsAgricultural Ditch Management BMP Expert Panel Report
Published on March 30, 2020The WQGIT approved the final report from the Agricultural Ditch Management Expert Panel.
View detailsRelated Links
WQGIT Archived Quarterly Newsletters
Link to archived WQGIT Quarterly Newsletters published in 2023 and after
2022 WQGIT Archived Quarterly Newsletters
Link to archived WQGIT Quarterly Newsletters published in 2022
Watershed Agreement
Vital Habitats Goal
Water Quality Goal
Toxic Contaminants Goal
Workgroups and Action Teams
Members
Suzanne Trevena (Chair), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 3
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
Email: trevena.suzanne@epa.gov
Phone: (215) 814-5701
Bryant Thomas (Vice Chair), Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Jeremy Hanson (Coordinator), Coordinator, Water Quality Goal Implementation Team, Chesapeake Research Consortium
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: hansonj@chesapeake.org
Phone: (410) 267-5753
Sushanth Gupta (Staffer), Water Quality Goal Implementation Team Staffer, Chesapeake Research Consortium
Caroline Kleis (Staffer), Water Quality Goal Implementation Team Staffer, Chesapeake Research Consortium
KC Filippino, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission
Joe Wood, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Emily Dekar, Upper Susquehanna Coalition
Kevin Du Bois, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
1510 Gilbert Street
Norfolk, Virginia 23511
Email: kevin.r.dubois.civ@us.navy.mil
Phone: (757) 650-2720
Mike LaSala
Holly Walker, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
George Onyullo, District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE)
1200 First St. NE
5th Floor
Washington, District of Columbia 20002
Email: george.onyullo@dc.gov
Dinorah Dalmasy, Maryland Department of the Environment
1800 Washington Boulevard
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Email: dinorah.dalmasy@maryland.gov
Phone: (410) 537-3699
Cassandra Davis, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Scott Heidel, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
400 Market Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101
Email: scheidel@pa.gov
Phone: (717) 772-5647
Dave Montali, Tetra Tech
601 57th St SE
Charleston, West Virginia 25304
Email: dave.montali@tetratech.com
Phone: (304) 414-0054 x104
Marel King, Chesapeake Bay Commission
c/o Senate of Pennsylvania
G-05 North Office Building
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
Email: mking@chesbay.us
Phone: (717) 772-3651