Making Water Quality and Quality Connections
While water quality and water quantity are inextricably connected, most current water management institutions, policy-making bodies and regional, state and local laws/programs in the Mid-Atlantic treat these goals in isolation. Numerous agencies and organizations in the region have actively sought to address water quality concerns, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. But, as development pressures have led to over-taxed water supplies in several communities, the need to address water quality and quantity in concert has become apparent.
Several interstate commissions have been established to address water consumption and availability. In Region 3, these institutions include interstate commissions for the Delaware, Ohio, Potomac, Susquehanna, Rappahannock, and Roanoke Rivers, as well as the Great Lakes. While some of these commissions also work on water quality issues, they have not worked with the water quality community enough to encourage planning and policy that encompasses both water quality and water quantity concerns.
With many global climate change models predicting greater extremes in weather events, it will be even more important to integrate water quality and quantity and to make the maximum use of water management institutions. To address these needs and encourage more effective coordination across the water quality and quantity communities, members of this project are assessing the role of the region’s six interstate river basin commissions (IRBCs) and how the water quality community can better engage with the IRBCs to manage water resources in a broader system or watershed context.
State Contacts
| Charlie Abdalla, PA (Project Lead) |
| Al Jarrett and John Becker, PA |
| Alan Collins, WV |
| Doug Parker, MD |
| Jim Pease, Brian Benham, Kurt Stephenson and Greg Evanylo, VA |