Maryland Department of the Environment
www.mde.maryland.gov
Regulations to Control Stormwater Runoff
What we do to the land changes the way rainfall behaves. Undeveloped land absorbs rainfall like a sponge and releases it slowly to nearby waterways, and in many parts of Maryland, to the Chesapeake Bay. As we build homes, schools, office buildings, and highways, we change this pattern. When rainfall hits paved or “impervious” surfaces, it carries waste, chemicals, and sediment to our waterways. Stormwater runoff also erodes streams, depositing sediment and increasing flooding. Maryland has two stormwater challenges: using the best available practices to control stormwater from new development or redevelopment and retrofitting already developed areas with stormwater controls.
The Department of the Environment is working to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff in three ways:
- Proposed regulations for the Stormwater Management Act of 2007, expected to be final in early January 2009.
- New draft general permit for construction activities, when sediment is the primary concern, expected to be finalized the end of 2008. Maryland erosion and sediment control technical standards are expected to be reviewed and updated in 2009.
- For already developed areas, Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) Permits are required under federal law does the state’s eleven most populated areas. The recently revised MS4 permit for Montgomery County is one of the most progressive in the country, requires 30% of already developed areas to be retrofitted for stormwater controls.
In addition, here are some tips to control stormwater:
- Limit the amount of impervious surfaces in your landscape. Use permeable paving surfaces such as wood decks, bricks, and concrete lattice to allow water to soak into the ground. Where possible, direct runoff from impervious surfaces across vegetated areas.
- Allow "thick" vegetation or "buffer strips" to grow alongside waterways to filter and slow runoff and soak up pollutants.
- Plant trees, shrubs, and groundcover. They will absorb up to fourteen times more rainwater than a grass lawn and they don't require fertilizer.
- Use natural alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. If you must use fertilizers or pesticides, test your soil to determine the appropriate amount. For more information, contact the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service at 1-800-342-2507.
- If a lawn care company services your lawn, make certain it is not applying "blanket" applications of fertilizer and pesticides. Ask if they have conducted soil tests and a pest analysis to determine appropriate applications.
- Resod or reseed bare patches in your lawn as soon as possible to avoid erosion
For more information on any of these ways that Maryland is working to reduce polluted stormwater runoff.
Climate Action Plan – To Reduce Global Warming Pollution and Benefit Maryland’s Economy
The Maryland Commission on Climate Change, chaired by Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson, has released a Climate Action Plan. The report details what effects global warming will have on the State, recommends actions to protect Maryland’s property and people from rising sea levels and changing weather patterns, and outlines forty-two actions to help the state greatly reduce its global warming pollution.
The report concludes that Maryland would see significant economic and environmental benefits from taking early, immediate actions to reduce global warming pollution and that the goals proposed by the Commission are achievable and would help spur innovation in the State.
“The findings of this report demonstrate that Maryland can and should take action now to reduce our global warming pollution,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson. “We can chart a future that includes economic growth and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Our study shows that not only are our goals are achievable, they will also help Maryland create jobs and reduce energy costs to consumers.”
Read the Climate Action Plan...
Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund
The Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund (2010 Trust Fund) was established during the 2008 Legislative Session by Senate Bill 213 to provide financial assistance to local governments and political subdivisions for the implementation of nonpoint source pollution control projects to achieve the State’s tributary strategy developed in accordance with the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement and to improve the health of the Atlantic Coastal Bays and their tributaries. The BayStat Program directs the administration of the 2010 Trust Fund, with multiple State agencies receiving moneys from the 2010 Trust Fund - the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), and Maryland Department of Planning. Coordination among agencies
Initially, to ensure that 2010 Trust Fund grants are put to work quickly in as effective and efficient a manner as possible, existing grant mechanisms at MDE, MDA and DNR are being used to award funding to eligible projects that meet the Trust Fund eligibility requirements but are not necessarily part of an existing local watershed plan. In future years, the 2010 Trust Fund grants will be awarded as part of a single multi-program, multi-agency request for proposals that will fund projects that are part of a comprehensive, targeted watershed restoration plan.
For Local Governments - Water Quality Infrastructure Program
The State of Maryland has grants and loans available through eleven Capital Programs to help local governments make sure their residents have access to safe and plentiful drinking water. These grants and loans also help reduce pollution in local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay by funding upgrades to wastewater treatment plants, improving storm water systems, and funding local stream and wetland restoration projects
Over the past 20 years, these programs have provided over $2 billion dollars to local governments, in addition to more than $1 billion in EPA construction grants funds provided between 1970 and 1988.
The Water Quality Infrastructure Program (WQIP) manages federal capital funds consisting of federal EPA construction grants, special federal appropriations grants, and State revolving loan funds for water quality and drinking water projects. The Program also manages State grant programs of $18-20 million annually including Special Water Quality/Health, Small Creeks and Estuaries Restoration, Stormwater Pollution Control, Biological Nutrient Removal, Water Supply Financial Assistance and the State match to the federal grants.,
For more information and applications for these grants and loans.
For Maryland Businesses - Pollution Prevention Technical Assistance
Lower your operating costs and increase your competitive edge! The Maryland Department of the Environment offers free, on-site technical assistance through the University of Maryland Technology Extension Service. These visits show you how to:
- Make more efficient use of the energy and raw materials you use,
- Reduce waste disposal and handling costs,
- Reduce regulatory compliance and liability costs, and
- Decrease worker exposure.
Scheduling a Pollution Prevention Site Visit
How Does It Work?
Curious to know what you may learn from a pollution prevention site visit? Simply call the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Pollution Prevention Program. We have a federal grant to support technical services through independent consultants and the University of Maryland Technology Extension Service (MTES). We’ll have an engineer call you to answer questions and to schedule a visit. Most site visits take about one hour to complete, depending on the size and complexity of the facility. Following the visit, you’ll receive a report summarizing the recommendations and an offer for further assistance to help you implement them.
These pollution prevention opportunity assessments are not inspections! They are confidential, completely voluntary and non-regulatory. The purpose is not to evaluate your facility’s compliance with environmental regulations, but rather to assess voluntary measures that can be taken to make the most efficient use of materials and energy which will protect the environment, your workers and save you money!
To learn more about pollution prevention and to schedule an on-site evaluation of your business, call MDE’s Pollution Prevention Program at 410-537-4119 or 1-800-633-6101 (ext. 4119) or via MD Relay Service at 1-800-735-2258.
For Maryland Businesses - Environmental Management System Implementation Assistance
The Maryland Department of the Environment and Maryland Technology Extension Service (MTES) offer free assistance to Maryland manufacturers in implementing environmental management systems (EMSs) based on the ISO 14001 global standard. Forty-one Maryland manufacturers have taken advantage of the program and a new group is forming now. The program works with groups of three to five businesses at a time and enrollment is on a first come-first served basis.
Environmental Management Systems
EMSs help organizations systematically identify and manage their regulated as well as unregulated environmental impacts. Over 129,000 organizations worldwide have registered their conformance to ISO 14001 (including these companies in Maryland), but many more facilities have realized the benefits of implementing an EMS without taking the formal step of registering their company.
Organizations that have implemented EMSs find that it has helped to:
- improve their environmental regulatory compliance;
- resolve and prioritize organizational issues;
- improve efficiency, reduce environmental costs and liability;
- increase environmental awareness, involvement, and competency throughout the organization;
- increase top management’s participation and involvement in environmental management; and
- improve communication both inside; and outside the organization.
This six-month program assists manufacturing organizations in implementing an EMS during four one-day workshops, spaced six weeks apart, followed by specific work assignments and supported by field implementation assistance. Program participants will also be offered technical assistance on implementation of cost-saving pollution prevention technologies. There is no cost for participation.
Or contact Laura Armstrong at 410-537-4119 or larmstrong@mde.state.md.us, Paul Gietka at 410-706-3445 or pgietka@umd.edu.
