Storm Water

The State Highway Administration plans to begin rebuilding the natural stream banks of the Jabez Branch next summer in an effort to restore the only natural trout stream in Maryland's coastal plane.But Robert A. Bachman, director of the Fish, Heritage and Wildlife Administration with the Department of Natural Resources, said more needs to be done if the stream is to be saved. He said surges of warm storm-water runoff continue to threaten the trout that spawn and live in the Jabez Branch, a shallow Severn River tributary running through Gambrills and Severn.

A county administrative hearing officer has rejected a Brooklyn Park sand and gravel company's request to start mining unused acres of its property.In a decision dated Oct. 25, Hearing Officer Robert C. Wilcox said Belle Grove Corp. could not ensure that its storm drainage system was sufficient to prevent water runoff from flowing out of the company's sediment pond and onto residential streets in nearby Pumphrey.Belle Grove owns a 50.4-acre parcel along the north side of Hammonds Lane.The bulk of the property has been used as a sand and gravel operation, but 16.9 acres remain unmined.

A 95-home development that received final approval from the Planningand Zoning Commission Monday night will send more cars onto an already congested Route 30, the State Highway Administration said.But the state told the town in a letter that because Shiloh Run wouldn't empty directly onto any state highways, it's up to the town to say yes or no to the developer.On Monday, the town said yes."This is the United States of America," Commission Chairman and Councilman Arthur C. Moler said. "Everybody has a right to buy and own a home.

Despite earlier attempts by a local developer to solve the problem, a Hampstead community is plagued with a storm water management dilemma.Residents of Small Crossings are concerned about a drainage area that has become an eyesore in the development at Fairmount and Upper Beckleysville roads.Residents are especially concerned that the homeowners association may be responsible if any nearby houses -- not located in the development -- are damaged."We are trying to get some help in regards to the problem we are having with our storm water management drain inSmall Crossings," said Steve Harmon, president of the homeowners group.

Fees will be reduced in Carroll County for small developers who incorporate grassy swales, shoulders and other techniques to capture storm water - rather than relying on ponds that the county must maintain. The change was approved yesterday by the county commissioners and means a savings of at least $500 for developers of three or fewer lots, said Martin B. Covington III, storm-water program engineer for the county Bureau of Resource Management. The permitted measures include the use of grassy swales, reduced slopes and grass shoulders along small subdivision roads.

Heavy rain over the holiday weekend caused three storm water overflows in Howard County on Memorial Day, public works officials said. About 15,500 gallons of storm-water overflow contaminated with raw sewage entered the Patuxent River at the North Laurel sewage pump station on U.S. 1 on May 26, said Bob Beringer, chief of the Department of Public Works' Bureau of Utilities. The overflow was reported at 6:30 a.m. and ceased about 1:30 p.m., he said. The station continued to experience heavy flows for hours after the river level receded, however.

THE GOALS were put forth 39 years ago: reduce the nation's water-polluting discharges to zero and make waterways clean enough for swimming and fishing. We haven't come close to meeting those ambitious targets, contained in the Clean Water Act of 1972. But the debate taking place among members of the Anne Arundel County Council right now provides one example of the progress since the days when little attention was paid to the harm that development can do to streams, rivers and oceans - and estuaries like our Chesapeake Bay. The Arundel council is debating the degree to which commercial property owners must reduce storm runoff - especially from asphalt parking lots and rooftops - if they decide to redevelop their property.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is expected to announce today that the city is giving $100,000 to the Herring Run Watershed Association for its new environmental center on Belair Road. The center, which is scheduled to open in the fall, will be one of the greenest buildings in Baltimore - complete with composting toilets, a tankless hot water heater and a roof that recycles storm water. The city's grant marks the end of Herring Run's two-year drive to raise the $600,000 needed for the building, which they hope will brighten up Belair Road and be an inspiration for those seeking to improve the neighborhood.

Residents are worried that a proposed 36-home development would worsen flooding in their Linthicum neighborhood and lead to erosion of an already-damaged stream.They are urging state and county officials to withhold approvals for the project and are calling for groundwater studies to determine if the site is suitable for construction.More than 150 homeowners have signed a petition opposing the subdivision planned by Cattail Associates of Severna Park. The developer wants to build Andover Estates on 10 acres west of Hammonds Ferry Road, between Kingwood and Kingbrook roads.

With a mix of awe and resignation, Marylanders began to clean up yesterday in the sunny but terrible wake of Hurricane Floyd.Pumps churned and chain saws buzzed from Elkton to Crisfield as homeowners and highway crews labored to repair the storm's damage. They moved lakes of storm water and cleared mountains of downed trees and limbs to return life in their storm-tossed communities to normal.In flood-stricken North East in Cecil County, Jim and Patricia Hamilton and their two children returned home to find their windows smashed by fallen limbs.

The day couldn't have been nicer. Gauzy clouds dotted an otherwise crisp blue sky. Just a wisp of a breeze and a gentle late-summer sun rounded things out. The water of the Inner Harbor, however, was anything but. Empty soda bottles bobbed and snack bags undulated with the tide as a ribbon of oil tied the entire trashy necklace together. Discarded lures, cigarette butts and webs of monofilament fishing line hugged the shore. And this, Eliza Steinmeier insisted, was a good day. No fish kills and no recent downpours flushing trash from city streets and gutters.

Pink Bag Lunch offers networking, fashion show Success in Style, a nonprofit organization offering free business wardrobes and coaching to disadvantaged women seeking employment, will hold a Pink Bag Lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Maple Lawn Community Center in Fulton. The benefit event includes a fashion show and networking. Tickets are $40. Sponsorships, vendor tables, program advertisements and raffle tickets are available. Information: 410-750-6475 or visit successinstyle.

A little-known Annapolis park will take the next step in forging an identity as an environmental education center with the groundbreaking today for a new exhibit. The $1 million Stormwater Education Experience will feature 19 learning stations to help teach the community more about the effects of pollutants rushing into the Chesapeake Bay. "You can learn about the environment without having to go into a rural area of the county," said LeeAnn Plumer, director of the Annapolis Department of Recreation and Parks.

On days like yesterday and Sunday when heavy rains saturate the region, it's possible to witness the polluting of Maryland's suffering waterways. From the rivulets of clay running off construction sites in Towson to the bobbing plastic cups in the Inner Harbor, the impact is obvious enough. This may be why a recent opinion survey sponsored by the Herring Run Watershed Association and others found the public is concerned about the harmful effects of urban storm water. Runoff from the streets can be as damaging to the environment as anything that leaves a local sewage treatment plant.

More than 80 percent of Baltimore-area residents say they're willing to do "a lot more" to prevent water pollution, but they don't want to pay more taxes to solve the problem, according to a newly released opinion survey. This suggests an ad campaign to educate people about steps they can take in their personal lives - picking up pet waste, using less lawn fertilizer and stopping littering - could help clean up Baltimore Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay, according to a pair of local environmental groups that commissioned the research.

Ex-employee of academy pleads guilty to thefts A 34-year-old former civilian employee of the Naval Academy pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to stealing government property and being a felon in possession of a gun, according to federal prosecutors. Gerard A. Hyman of Glen Burnie was a food-services employee at King Hall when he stole boxes of steaks, ribs and condiments in December and placed them in his Mercedes. Police officers recovered the items, valued at more than $3,500, from Hyman's car on a loading dock.

Baltimore residents will be able to receive $10 discounts on buying trees under a new environmental partnership between the city and Baltimore County that was unveiled yesterday. Mayor Sheila Dixon and County Executive James T. Smith Jr. also announced joint goals to clean up the region's waterways before an audience of about 200 people at the Baltimore Watersheds Conference at Goucher College. "You have two chief executives who understand what needs to be done to protect our watershed and who will work together to meet our watershed goals," Smith said.

In his first public appearance yesterday, General Growth Properties Vice President Gregory F. Hamm tantalized about 100 people with a list of concepts but no specifics on his firm's plans for redeveloping central Columbia. "This is my maiden voyage speaking to the Columbia community. It's a week or two earlier than I would have liked" because he had no concrete news to convey, he told an early-morning crowd at a meeting of advocates for transportation at the Bain Center in Harper's Choice.

The state Board of Public Works' unusual decision last week to deny a crucial permit to a large, long-planned waterfront community on Kent Island has developers crying foul and warning that more sprawl could result. Environmentalists, meanwhile, say the state board's last-minute derailment of the Four Seasons project in Queen Anne's County highlights the need for more stringent controls on development to protect the Chesapeake Bay. It remained unclear last week what would become of the eight-year-old plan to build 1,350 homes for "active adults" on former farmland near the eastern end of the Bay Bridge.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is expected to announce today that the city is giving $100,000 to the Herring Run Watershed Association for its new environmental center on Belair Road. The center, which is scheduled to open in the fall, will be one of the greenest buildings in Baltimore - complete with composting toilets, a tankless hot water heater and a roof that recycles storm water. The city's grant marks the end of Herring Run's two-year drive to raise the $600,000 needed for the building, which they hope will brighten up Belair Road and be an inspiration for those seeking to improve the neighborhood.