The Environmental Protection Agency has given its approval of Maryland’s pollution budget that is aimed at cutting nitrogen and phosphorus along the state’s coastal bays and tributaries.
The pollution budget would slash nitrogen by up to 35 percent and phosphorus by 18 percent for the coastal bays.
Stiffer cuts have been imposed for a bay’s tributaries.
The Total Maximum Daily Load levels apply to bodies of water ranging from the Assawoman Bay and the Isle of Wight Bay to Chincoteague Bay and Newport Bay.
Shawn Garvin, the EPA regional administrator, praised Maryland for taking leadership in restoring its coastal waters.