Editor, Gazette-Journal: 

Regarding the Gloucester Board of Supervisors’ proposed changes to the countywide Resource Management Area (RMA) designation, we can’t slack off on our efforts now when we are finally seeing a bit of progress. The Sept. 21 Daily Press states that researchers reported gains in water quality and underwater grasses in Chesapeake Bay have made a big improvement over the past year. It can take a long time for the environment to reflect clean-up efforts, but it looks like we may have turned a corner.

Reducing stormwater runoff is critical to Bay progress, which relaxing the RMA would affect. The Bay pollution diet (“TMDL”) is affected as well. The RMA requires development to meet 10 performance standards, including minimizing land disturbance, required periodic septic pump-out, agricultural conservation assessments and others. Our county is blessed with so many streams and wetlands. A significant portion of county residents relys on gr...