Storm Water

Look who's smiling now? Even as the Maryland General Assembly was heading toward a budgetary train wreck last week, there was one unlikely group that had trouble believing its good fortune coming out of the 90-day session - the state's environmental community. Not only did Maryland's Chesapeake Bay lobby push through a doubling of the flush tax, but it managed to persuade lawmakers to require the state's largest jurisdictions to impose new fees that will be invested in storm water runoff controls.

In a legislative session marked by discord over taxes and gambling, lawmakers came together to pass three major bills aimed at boosting Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts. They failed to agree, however, on other environmental priorities - a bill to subsidize building wind turbines off Ocean City, and a measure requiring natural gas companies to pay for studying the impacts of drilling for energy in western Maryland. The General Assembly approved two bay billls that were priorities of the O'Malley administration bills, one doubling the 'flush fee' to pay for upgrading sewage treatment plants and another limiting rural development on septic systems.  A third late-moving bill pushed by environmentalists would require Baltimore city and nine suburban counties to levy local fees to pay for curbing polluted runoff from their streets and parking lots.

A "sleeper" bill that would require Baltimore city and the state's nine largest counties to levy fees on property owners to pay for controlling storm-water pollution won preliminary Senate approval  this evening, though whether it will pass in the General Assembly's waning hours remains to be seen. The measure, HB987 , which has failed to pass in prior years, gained traction late in the 90-day legislative session after the O'Malley administration and lawmakers agreed to scale back a proposed increase in the so-called "flush fee"to help pay for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup.  That bill, which gained final approval today, would double the $2.50 monthly fee paid by all utility customers and septic tank owners.  The money raised would help finish upgrading the state's largest sewage treatment plants, while also funneling aid to farmers to control runoff from their fields.

In the grand scheme of things, it's not the kind of issue most people regard as a political hot potato, but it is a matter that's likely to end up sporadically adding to property tax bills in neighborhoods across Harford County in the coming years. It's not police protection, schools, firehouses, parks or libraries. The sleeper issue with the big price tag is storm water management. Homeowners in the Bel Air neighborhood of Major's Choice are finding out just how costly the issue can be; the board of town commissioners voted this week on a financial package that would cover an estimated $76,000 cost of repairing three storm water management ponds in the community.

Environmentalists came to Annapolis dressed in waders, life jackets and even a shark costume to rally for a package of bills moving through the House and Senate that would protect water quality. "There is nothing more important than clean water," said Del. Tom Hucker, a Montgomery County Democrat who pushed legislation in the House for a storm water fee. "We are on the finish line. " This year environmentalists had four legislative goals: Mandate that counties create storm water fees to fund retrofitting impermeable surfaces like paved parking lots, curb sprawl and reduce nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay by limiting septic systems, increase to the flush tax to fund waste water plant upgrades, and tighten the rules for the types of septic systems allowed.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's bid to boost the "flush" fee every resident pays moved to the full House Tuesday, as did a measure requiring Maryland's largest counties and Baltimore city to start raising funds for curbing polluted storm runoff from streets and parking lots. The House Environmental Matters Committee voted to approve HB446 , which would double the Bay Restoration Fund , aka the “flush tax.”  The additional funds would help the state's Chesapeake Bay restoration effort by financing the completion of upgrades to the state's 67 largest sewage plants, so they discharge less bay-fouling nitrogen into creeks, rivers and the bay. The committee rejected a late administration bid to increase the fee beyond $5 a month per household that had been proposed, on average, in the governor's original bill.

There is undoubtedly an unpleasant knee-jerk reaction whenever you hear someone criticize an organization whose sole purpose is to provide humanitarian assistance to people in most need. We generally feel better about living in a community that supports nonprofits and their activities. So when representatives of The Chimes, a Dixon Hill-located nonprofit, announced at a community association meeting their desire to install an array of ground-mounted solar panels on their property, the opposition to their plan may seem harsh and unwarranted ("Mount Washington residents criticize plan to build solar panels," Jan. 3)

Maryland's environmental agency filed with federal regulators Thursday a draft of the most detailed Chesapeake Bay "pollution diet" plan to date. "The Watershed Implementation Plan is going to affect everybody," said Margaret Enloe, spokeswoman for the Chesapeake Bay Program, the restoration partnership of the Environmental Protection Agency, bay states and the District of Columbia. "There are so many benefits that can come out of it. " The draft represents the second part of a "three-phase planning process that extends to 2017," according to the Maryland Department of the Environment's filing, which was made available online, and breaks down the state's pollution-reduction tactics county by county.

The Anne Arundel County Council will hear from the public at its meeting tonight on a proposal that would levy a new fee on county residents designed to reduce and more effectively manage storm water run-off along the Chesapeake Bay. The measure, proposed by Councilman Chris Trumbauer, would impose a $35 annual fee on residential property tax bills and $25 on condos and town houses; nonresidential properties would be assessed depending on square...

A proposal scheduled to come before the Anne Arundel County Council on Monday would create a property tax surcharge to help reduce storm-water runoff into the Chesapeake Bay. measure would permit a $35 annual fee on residential property tax bills and $25 on condos and townhouses; nonresidential properties would be assessed depending on square footage. Advocates say the measure will help local government play a crucial role in cleaning up the bay, but opponents argue that it's too costly in tough economic times.