What amendments were made to the Environmental Management Ordinance?
Recently, the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board (CBLAB), the State oversight entity, adopted changes to the regulations. To comply with these changes, the City must approve amendments to the Environmental Management Ordinance. A key change in the State regulations is that a 100-foot RPA buffer must now be designated around all “waterbodies with perennial flow.” This differs from the existing requirement that protects all “tributary streams.” As a result of this definition change, the scope of the City’s RPAs will also change. In addition to the minimum State requirements, the City is also proposing to protect natural intermittent streams with a 50 foot buffer area.
