Cecil County, Maryland

Land Use, Water Quality and the Chesapeake BayChyanne, Christian, Hana,

Liana, Jinyi

Current Land Use

Top Land Use Goal

Encourage conservation of agricultural land

Growth Management &

Projections

Growth Forecasts

Population growth has been rapid, will be rapid and remains a genuine threat to the community’s rural heritage

Why planning?

Efficient and Orderly Growth!

●Comprehensive Water and Sewer Plan

● PFA & Zoning ●Agricultural Preservation

Components of Growth Management Program

Nutrient and Sediment

Loads

Overview of Different Sectors

Cecil County - Total Nitrogen Loads

Source Sector2010

Progress2017 Interim

Strategy2025 Final Strategy

Final Target

Percentage Change Between 2010 and

2025

Agriculture 1.001 0.807 0.750 0.614 25.07%

Forest 0.260 0.270 0.273 0.261 5.00%

Non-Tidal Atm 0.037 0.037 0.037 0.037 0.00%

Septic 0.183 0.164 0.098 0.099 46.45%

Stormwater 0.338 0.296 0.217 0.235 35.80%

Wastewater 0.104 0.311 0.328 0.323 68.29%

Cecil County - Total Phosphorus Loads

Source Sector2010

Progress2017 Interim

Strategy2025 Final Strategy

Final Target

Percentage Change Between 2010 and

2025

Agriculture 0.069 0.054 0.050 0.055 27.54%

Forest 0.006 0.006 0.006 0.006 0.00%

Non-Tidal Atm 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.00%

Septic 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.00%

Stormwater 0.016 0.015 0.010 0.010 37.50%

Wastewater 0.013 0.016 0.018 0.020 38.46%

Cecil County - Total Sediment Loads

Source Sector2010

Progress2017 Interim

Strategy2025 Final Strategy

Percentage Change Between 2010 and

2025

Agriculture 46.473 42.689 40.580 12.68%

Forest 4.230 4.480 4.533 7.16%

Non-Tidal Atm 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.00%

Septic 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.00%

Stormwater 14.918 13.364 8.050 46.04%

Wastewater 0.118 0.810 2.157 1727.96%

Strategies and Costs

Strategies for nutrient and sediment reduction

Tributary StrategyBest Management

Practices(BMP)Reforestation/RestorationTMDL/Nutrient ReductionEnhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR)

Policies and Programs

Forest ConservationCecil County’s Board of County

Commissioners Retention of existing forestry

No change!

Changes must align with the Code of Maryland Natural Resource Policies

Maintain the natural resources of Cecil

County

Water Quality ControlMaryland Department of Agriculture

Implementation of licenses, approvals and permits to reduce the negative impact from land cultivation and other agricultural activities on water quality

Farmers must abide because of soil erosion into the Bay

Consumer ConfidenceMaryland Department of Agriculture

Animal Health Program Provide safe foodAnimal disease controlIncreased the enforcement of livestock inspection

Food Quality Assurance ProgramAudits and inspections Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Good Handling Practices (GHP)Grade analysis of eggsDecrease their use of pesticides

StormwaterMaryland Department of the Environment

Control the erosion and sediment runoff

Use rain as resource

The Stormwater Management Act of 2007 required BMP be used by all current and future development activities

Water Quality Trading

Current Platform

Potential in CecilReasons:

Population growth and competition in land use

Under TMDL, BMP, EBPR regulations,

Costs are differentBranosky, Evan. Cy Jones, and Mindy Selman. “Comparison Tables of State Nutrient Trading Programs in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed”. World Resource Institute Fact Sheet. Version 1. May 2011. Web. 1 Dec 2015.

http://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/comparison_tables_of_state_chesapeake_bay_nutrient_trading_programs.pdf

Target:existing permitted discharge + new growth

Opportunities for cost savingBilateral Process

Buyers: Farmers, agribusiness

Sellers: National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) point sources

http://www.mdnutrienttrading.com

ChallengesTransaction cost

Baseline

Trading Ratio

Data-CBWM

More Info: Houtven, George Van, Ross Loomis, Justin Baker, Robert Beach, and Sara Casey. “Nutrient Credit Trading for the Chesapeake Bay, An Economic Study”. MAY 2012. Web. 2 Dec 2015. Section 10 <http://www.chesbay.us/Publications/nutrient-trading-2012.pdf>

Sector Analysis

Cecil County Agricultural SectorCecil county is a predominantly

rural/agricultural area.Large dairy cow/beef cattle farms

are common.77% of nitrogen and 95% of

phosphorus pollution in this area can be attributed to agriculture.

Northeast River Advanced WWTP(NERAWWTP) Upgrade

MDE mandated that all large WWTPs be upgraded to Enhanced Nutrient Removal(ENR) by Dec. 2016

NERAWWTP is the only WWTP in Cecil County requiring an upgrade.

Previous treatment level: Biological Nutrient Removal(BNR)

Expected project cost: $40 million.

Biological versus Enhanced Nutrient Removal

ENR utilizes a process known as a Membrane Bioreactor(MBR).

Higher initial cost than alternatives, but benefits include:

Higher water treatment level than alternatives

Cost of future expansions is lower than other alternatives.

Nutrient Reduction Levels

Nutrient Biological Nutrient Removal

Enhanced Nutrient Removal

Nitrogen 8 mg/L to 10 mg/L

~3 mg/L

Membrane Bioreactor

Questions?