BMP Verification Review Panel

Scope and Purpose

Overview

The Chesapeake Bay Program partnership has embarked on a precedent-setting process for developing a basinwide BMP verification framework supporting state specific BMP verification programs. In addition to partnership adoption of a set of verification principles and development of sector focused verification protocols, an independent panel of national and regional verification experts will be established. The BMP Verification Review Panel will provide advice, feedback, and recommendations to the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership as it develops a BMP Verification Program for confirming nutrient and sediment reductions from the full array of best management practices and technologies implemented across all sources (agriculture, urban, on-site treatment systems, wastewater dischargers, etc.) in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Charge

The BMP Verification Review Panel (the Panel) will provide advice, feedback, and recommendations to the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership as it develops its Verification Program.

The Panel will review and provide feedback on and recommendations for changes to the draft set of BMP verification principles.

Individual panel members will work directly with the appropriate source sector/habitat restoration workgroups, providing advice, feedback, and recommendations during the respective workgroup’s development of verification protocol specific to their sector/habitat.

The Panel will use the verification principles as criteria for assessing the strengths and any possible vulnerabilities in the state verification programs, providing written feedback and recommendations to the Chesapeake Bay Program’s BMP Verification Committee on each jurisdiction’s program.

The Panel will also evaluate whether the level of verification rigor is consistent across source sectors and across all seven watershed jurisdictions.