Stormwater Management Fee Protects Bay, Funding For Other Programs

Repealing a fee that curbs pollution of the Chesapeake Bay would harm one of Maryland’s most treasured natural resources and could force local governments to cut school funding and other priorities to fund clean-up of the bay. The “stormwater management fee,” designed to reduce the flow of pollutants into the bay from residential and commercial development, is a highly effective tool to improve the water quality of the Bay in a fair and equitable way. Opponents who call the fee “ludicrous,” including Governor Hogan, are wrong.

The Stormwater Management Watershed and Restoration Program, as it is formally known, required Baltimore City and Maryland’s nine most populous counties to enact plans to restore and protect the environment of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Funds raised by the various storm water management fees set by the counties are exclusively used to combat rainwater runoff from parking lots, sidewalks and other surfaces, which carries a considerable amount of pollution into the Bay.  This law was passed in response to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandate to reduce the amount of pollutants flowing into the Bay.

Counties have great discretion in how they implement the fee.  For example, Charles County levies a flat fee of $43 per property. Montgomery County has fees ranging from $29.17 to $265.20, depending on the size of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and other impervious surfaces on each property.

Urban and suburban pollution of the Chesapeake is a major concern for Maryland in part because stormwater discharges into the Bay contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediments from sources such as pet wastes, lawn fertilizers, construction activity, and air contaminants. All of these pollutants damage water quality and habitats. The stormwater management practices help restore water quality by reducing runoff and removing pollutants before they enter local waterways.

In many cases, the fee amount per household is minimal, but the benefits are substantial. When fully implemented, the fee is projected to generate approximately $482 million per year for local storm water remediation projects

Municipalities that do not charge a stormwater fee typically fund stormwater management through their general revenue, which reduces the amount they can spend on education, public safety, or healthcare. Paying for stormwater management through the general fund also means that some property owners may overpay for stormwater services, while others may underpay because the fee isn’t based on the actual stormwater runoff a property is likely to produce.

Maryland’s stormwater management fee is critically important to designing, constructing, maintaining and administering an environmentally sound storm sewer system. Repealing it would undo some of the progress that has been made in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.