Frederick County, MD: Improving Local Water Quality Through Shared Responsibility

The Frederick News-Post reported a legislative attempt to exempt Frederick County, Maryland from enforcing a local stormwater fee. Potomac Conservancy joined clean water partners in Annapolis, MD on Tuesday, January 28 to protect the state’s mandatory stormwater fee.

A 2012 law requires 10 Maryland jurisdictions to charge a stormwater fee that funds local infrastructure improvements. These investments significantly improve local water quality by reducing the impact of urban runoff – the fastest growing source of pollution to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

As The Frederick News-Post details, Hedrick Belin, president of the Potomac Conservancy, also argued against a Frederick County exemption, pointing to an assessment released last year that concluded many county streams were in poor health.

“Given the current well-documented water quality issues in Frederick County ... it’s unclear why Frederick County deserves to be singled out for a special exemption,” Belin said.