Impervious Surfaces

Lest there be any question about why it's so difficult to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, consider the sordid saga of the Four Seasons development slated for the fragile shores of Kent Island. Controversial from the start, the project found favor with pro-growth Queen Anne's County commissioners who were ousted in 2002 by outraged voters but signed the deal just before leaving office. Their replacements tried to void the approval but were sued by the developer, lost in court and agreed to drop their opposition to avoid a threatened $3 million in legal penalties.

Heartened by volunteer efforts to help restore Little Pipe Creek near Union Bridge, a group of Carroll residents is joining forces to protect the county's other 600 miles of streams. Called The Friends of Carroll County Streams, the group's plans include restoration projects and education. Organizers said the group also might play an advocacy role in county environmental issues. The group will hold its first public meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Bear Branch Nature Center near Westminster.

Walking through Cromwell Valley Park, one would scarcely think that the slight trickle of water running through the middle of the site could require a $4 million repair job. But park manager Leo Rebetsky says this tiny stream, known as Minebank Run, could eventually pose a problem not just for those who enjoy the park, but for the Chesapeake Bay. Minebank Run begins just inside the Beltway, between Joppa and Cromwell Bridge roads. It continues behind Loch Raven High School on Cowpens Avenue, running through Cromwell Valley Park and eventually flowing into Gunpowder Falls.

A developer who wants to build 71 homes on the West River attempted to show the county Board of Appeals last night that the project will comply with county environmental rules.Despite residents' statements to the contrary, an attorney for BMCN Joint Venture said the county is requiring the developer to install extensive storm water controls, pay $91,000 to replant trees cut down and limit impervious surfaces to 25 percent. The county even "required us to scale down the size of the homes we wanted to build," said attorney Bruce Krain.

With little fanfare, legislation sailed through the General Assembly this year that could revolutionize Maryland's approach to reducing the rainwater runoff that is so poisonous to the Chesapeake Bay. Developers throughout the state will be required to design and construct their projects in a way that retains as much as possible of the natural groundcover, allowing rainwater to soak into the soil instead of washing off hard surfaces, carrying sediment and...

An Anne Arundel Circuit Court judge upheld yesterday a West River developer's right to build 13 homes within 1,000 feet of tidal water, despite objections from the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission.Judge Eugene M. Lerner denied the commission's request to overturn a county grading and building permit issued last fall to BMCN Joint Ventures that the panel said conflicts with the state's critical area law.Judge Lerner said the permit was issued properly, given that the 22-acre site known as Back Bay Beach was first subdivided in 1921, about 67 years before Anne Arundel County adopted its shoreline protection program.

The Anne Arundel County Council voted Wednesday to override County Executive Laura Neuman's veto of fees to pay for stormwater pollution projects, but council members then offered changes that could address some of her concerns. It was not clear whether their new bill, which would cap some fees at a lower rate and phase in the charges, would meet her approval. Her spokeswoman, Tracie Reynolds, said Neuman "is working with the County Council on new legislation. " Budget analysts have not determined how much revenue the council proposal would raise for pollution control projects.

As the Anne Arundel County Council weighs competing proposals tomorrow over how to pay for restoring damaged waterways, an unusual coalition of environmentalists, homebuilders and other businesses is standing behind a plan to impose fees on most property owners. The success of the plan could hinge on a single vote. Three council members announced last week - after several weeks of delays - that they would unveil an amendment to overhaul County Executive John R. Leopold's so-called SMART fund that potentially could generate $10 million in annual revenue.

Maxine Taylor thought she was being "green" by using wood chips instead of asphalt for a driveway on her woodsy front yard in Butchers Hill. The chips happen to let rainfall soak through into the ground, stopping a little of the storm-water pollution that's plaguing Baltimore's harbor. But instead of winning praise from a City Hall officially committed to a "cleaner, greener Baltimore," Taylor was cited for violating the city's building and zoning codes with her woody driveway. When she appealed the citation, she said, an administrative law judge informed her the only way she could keep vehicles on her property would be on asphalt or concrete.