The Chesapeake Bay Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation recently awarded the Center for Watershed Protection a $344,000 grant to develop a body of evidence and recommendations for the application of alternative media to boost the performance of existing Best Management Practices (BMPs). The project will provide a comprehensive approach to evaluate and implement emerging technologies to enhance BMP performance and make Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) strategies more cost-effective. The project will add to the existing limited data pool and optimistically support a higher pollution reduction credit for practices using enhanced media.
“We call it BMPs on steroids,” added Bryan Seipp, Watershed Manager/ Forester at the Center, and project architect. Bryan adds, “It allows us to do some innovative research to figure out how we can get the most of the various practices that are already being used.” The Center hopes to start on the project soon, elevating both the practices and the standards for the various BMPs that communities are using to meet their Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) and ultimately, their clean water goals. More information about the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants is available at https://www.nfwf.org/programs/chesapeake-bay-stewardship-fund/innovative-nutrient-and-sediment-reduction-grants.
