It is a pleasure to be here today to renew the Watershed Agreement, an example of a partnership that has provided significant benefit to the people of both the City and the County.
In a few moments, Baltimore City’s Director of Public Works George Winfield and I will put our names to paper and renew the partnership between our jurisdictions with the 2006 Baltimore Watershed Agreement. I believe that this is an appropriate time to not only consider the content of the agreement, but to also recognize the growth and successes we have shared since we pledged to protect our watersheds in October four years ago.
Many of you witnessed that historic signing, and you were there because of your concern for the water quality in the Baltimore region. Many of you had worked for years in watershed associations, in conservancy groups, and in your communities to improve the environmental conditions in our region and to meet the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement. You already had done so much on behalf of our shared watersheds. You had incorporated non-profit associations, published newsletters, sponsored stream clean-ups, and developed relationships with many of the City and County staff here today. But there was a fundamental element missing in all those efforts. We had not fully acknowledged that natural resources do not adhere to political boundaries.
Our natural resources are not owned by Baltimore City or Baltimore County; they are a shared responsibility—a responsibility that requires comprehensive plans that can be implemented with the recognition that in a watershed, every action impacts not just the immediate area but a larger geographic region of shared watersheds, which merge ultimately into our beloved Chesapeake Bay. That responsibility could not be fully met in this region without Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and all our citizens at the same table, speaking the same language, acknowledging common issues, and developing shared solutions.
When we signed the first Watershed Agreement in 2002, we took the first step in bringing the City and the County together. It was an untested approach, and I know many were skeptical. But the 2002 agreement has served us well. It has not only provided the framework for many initiatives over the past four years, it has proved the forum for new partnerships that have created this renewed agreement.
Many of you in this room generated the core of this renewed agreement through your work with the Watershed Advisory Group (WAG). At our last Watershed Conference we understood your concerns, and we knew that the 2006 Agreement had to establish a mechanism for creating specific goals and action plans put in the context of implementation plans with clear timelines. We understood the need to establish a structure of local officials with oversight to implement recommendations and monitor those timelines.
Today, through this agreement, we are strengthening our commitment in five areas: Stormwater management, especially in the areas of public education, stormwater retrofits, stream restoration, management of impervious surfaces and the identified funding sources to support these needs; Community Greening, especially through the establishment and implementation of tree canopy goals and the enhancement of stream buffers; Development and Redevelopment, focusing especially on renewal of older communities and urbanized areas, protection of open space and agricultural land, and implementation of low impact development practices where appropriate; Public Health, and emphasizing the ability of our streams and rivers to present safe recreational amenities for our communities; and Trash, which impacts water quality as well as the economic and aesthetic viability of our rivers and streams. This agreement calls for us to create goals of success for these five commitments by October 1st, 2007 and to develop action strategies by October 1st, 2008
Today, through this agreement, we are committing to create a committee of principals, including non-governmental representatives, who will be charged with the oversight of the implementation of the action plans, including monitoring progress, and preparing recommendations for future work. They will report annually to the Mayor and the County Executive and to the residents of our shared watersheds as to progress, challenges and the commitments required of each of us to meet our water quality goals.
I hope that everyone here will take a few moments to reflect on the important work you have done and the significance of the commitments Baltimore City and Baltimore County have made to these projects and to you as citizens and watershed associations. I also hope that you continue to work with the dedicated staff in both the City and County. The key to the success of this agreement is continued collaboration between citizens and knowledgeable and committed staff working together to protect our watersheds. We are fortunate to have the best of the best in both groups. This is what makes this agreement so exciting-- not only do we have dedicated participants-- but the combined expertise and resources of two major jurisdictions can meet any of the challenges that we know loom before us.
This is a well-crafted document—a map for us to follow which lays out our goals and our strategies. But as you know, this agreement is only a piece of paper until its words are translated into action. The road map has been unfolded and the plan to preserve and protect our watersheds is before us. How we chose to read that map and to protect our watersheds, streams and the Chesapeake Bay is the challenge that we are now charged to meet. I am ready. I know you are. We have a lot of work to do, new partnerships to create, and I can’t wait to get started.
Courthouse 