Stormwater Management Act significant step to protect
the Chesapeake Bay
The Maryland Legislature on sine die passed the
Stormwater Management Act, HB 786/SB784.
The bill sets higher standards for new development to reduce the
polluted runoff that washes off our parking lots, roofs, and roads and damages
our streams and pollutes the Chesapeake
Bay.
“Residents of Maryland see the impact of stormwater runoff in every stream
and every river of the state,” said Delegate Jane Lawton (D-18), the House
sponsor. “For too long we have built in ways that did not adequately
protect our water and the Chesapeake
Bay, and that is why I am
proud to be the sponsor of HB 786, which makes environmental site design part
of all new development in the state.”
“This is a bill whose time
has come,” said Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, staff attorney for Environment
Maryland. “For a long time we have
permitted development to pollute our streams and the bay, encouraging but not
requiring smarter, cleaner development practices that could have protected our
waters from that pollution. It is time
to require cleaner development in Maryland.”
Cindy Schwartz, Executive
Director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, said: “You know you’re
doing something right when you’ve got environmentalists, home builders,
counties, and local residents working together to solve a serious problem. From
an economic standpoint, it’s a no-brainer -- these standards are cheaper for
developers to implement and cheaper for taxpayers because they prevent
pollution in the first place. This will be a big step forward for the Bay.”
The Stormwater Management Act
is a fiscally neutral bill that applies to all new major development. The bill:
·
Requires
developers to use environmental site design as the primary method for managing
stormwater.
·
Requires cities
and counties to update archaic local zoning code to allow for low impact design
techniques. For example, traditional
curb and gutter requirements prohibit the use of vegetated channels and swales;
while both techniques accomplish the same goal, the vegetated channel will
capture and clean runoff while the curb and gutter simply sends it rushing into
the nearest stream. Such conflicts need to be eliminated to allow for better
design.
·
Directs the
Maryland Department of the Environment to study and recommend the
implementation of an appropriate fee schedule to increase enforcement of
stormwater laws.
An amendment to the bill also
requires MDE to study and report back on two things:
·
Our management of
sediment from construction sites, creating a comprehensive process for
development that will protect our waters from the first ground-breaking to the
final building.
·
The creation of a
more appropriate fee system to increase enforcement of stormwater laws.
The bill was sponsored by
Sen. Rosapepe in the Senate.
