Now is the Time for Stormwater Reform

Tuesday March 08, 2016

•  environmental policy •  environmental studies •  Howard County •  Maryland •  public affairs •  public economics •  public finance •  stormwater management •  water resources policy • 

The Howard County Council has killed the plan to remove the stormwater remediation fee:


This is good, but as I wrote in January, the real motivation for the stormwater fee is to improve stormwater management. For this to be successful, and the fee to have real meaning, the Howard County Council should implement credits against the fee for properties with on-site stormwater remediation and treatment. For a single-family home, this may be as simple as a rain barrel. For larger properties, this may mean bioretention facilities or rain gardens.

With incentives in place, the stormwater fee can best serve its intended purpose of improving outflows into the Chesapeake Bay.

Image by Gilbert Garcia / Flickr.