Recruitment Framework for the Coordinator Position
SRBC is conducting a concurrent two-track recruitment and selection process for a Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan (CWIP) Coordinator function. The first track is an RFP to identify a firm capable of performing the CWIP Coordinator scope of work. The second track is to develop and post a job announcement through SRBC’s standard recruitment process for a three-year contracted term employee. SRBC is pursuing the two tracks concurrently to evaluate both and determine its ultimate course of action.
Program context. The Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan (CWIP) is a collaborative interstate effort involving Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC). It supports Chesapeake Bay restoration by accelerating nutrient reductions in the Susquehanna watershed beyond the nutrient-reduction commitments already assigned to the states through their respective Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs). The effort responds in part to the reduced ability of Conowingo Dam to trap nutrient and sediment loads before they reach the Chesapeake Bay.
Relationship to Chesapeake Bay restoration. The Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (Bay TMDL) establishes watershed-wide limits for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment and is implemented through state and federal WIPs, two-year milestones, and progress reporting under the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership. CWIP is intended to complement—not replace—the participating states’ WIP commitments by building capacity and advancing additional nutrient-reduction actions in priority watersheds. The participating jurisdictions are pursuing an additional reduction of approximately 6 million pounds of nitrogen per year beyond existing state WIP obligations. Progress has been constrained by the absence of a single person or entity whose primary responsibility is to coordinate and advance this work across jurisdictions.
Coordinator function. Over a three-year period, the CWIP Coordinator will work across Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York to strengthen interstate coordination, build implementation capacity, secure and align resources, and accelerate nutrient-reduction projects that support Chesapeake Bay restoration outside state WIP commitments.
The Coordinator position will be managed and supported by SRBC and will work closely with the CWIP Steering Committee and CWIP leadership representatives.
Link to the Request for Proposals
