Late in 2009, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) requested that the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) formally review the updated water clarity and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) components of the estuarine Water Quality Sediment Transport Model (WQSTM). The objective of the review was to determine the suitability of these components for setting tidal sediment and nutrient allocations as part of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process.
In early 2010, STAC began to plan for the review, to be performed by a 5-member independent panel which would be informed by CBP modelers and through discussion with the broader Bay scientific community. The review was held on March 9-10, 2010, at the Joe Macknis Memorial Conference Room of the Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Annapolis, MD. The panel members were Dr. Lawrence Sanford (chair), Dr. Michael Kemp, Dr. Kenneth Moore, Dr. Christopher Madden, and Dr. Zhongping Lee. Other Bay experts participating in the open discussion during the first day of the review included Dr. Carl Friedrichs, Dr. Jeffery Halka, Dr. Christian Jones, Mr. Lee Karrh, Dr. Evamaria Koch, Dr. Robert Orth, Dr. Nancy Rybicki, Mr. Christopher Spaur, and Mr. Mark Trice.
After the open discussion ended, the panel deliberated in consulation with modelers Dr. Carl Cerco and Dr. Charles Gallegos in the late afternoon of March 9, and in closed session on March 10. Logistical support was provided by Ms. Elizabeth Van Dolah and Ms. Melissa Fagan through the Chesapeake Research Consortium.