How You Can Help the EPA Clean Up the Bay

The big news today was that the Environmental Protection Agency agreed to enforce tough new standards for pollution reduction in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. It seems voluntary reductions by states in the watershed did not work over the last four decades.

The difference now, as explained by Ashley Halsey III in this Washington Post article, is "the EPA is legally obligated to achieve the goals established in the settlement. The agency has agreed to force states to do what has not been done voluntarily in the past."

So while the EPA gets its act together and starts coming up with enforcement plans, what can you do to help the Bay's health? Here are a few suggestions:

• Simple Ways You Can Help the Bay (a list from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay)
• Help the Bay in Your Backyard (from the Chesapeake Bay Program)
• How Can I Help Save the Bay? (from Laura Seltzer's 'Last Boat Out' site)
• RainScapes program -- This Montgomery County initiative makes rebates available to homeowners and organizations that use any of a range of techniques to reduce stormwater runoff on their property. The techniques or projects eligible for rebates include rain gardens, conservation landscaping, permeable pavers and more.
• What You Can Do (from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation)

We should be glad the EPA is going to make states clean up the Bay, but we can also take some actions on our own. A healthy watershed and health Bay is best for everyone.