Nicole Hammond

Intern/Mentor pd. 6
Annotated Bibliography
Beebe, Rachel-Personal Interview,2015
Rachel was the Stormwater Division Aide at the Howard County Office of Environmental
Sustainability but she is currently the Sustainability Project Manager at the Howard County Office of
Community Sustainability. She graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 2012. Rachel also
spent a period of time as an intern at the True Chesapeake Oyster Company where she conducted
research on aquatic environmental factors that affect oyster growth.
Caldwell, Jim Personal Interview,2015
Jim graduated from Ohio State University in 1976 with a B.S in Wildlife Biology, then he
attended American University where he earned a M.S. in Environmental Management. Jim served as
Director at the Department of Environmental Protection in Montgomery County for 11 years then he
transferred to Howard County government where he has worked in Howard County OFCS for about
5 years and his current tittle is Acting Director. He has prior research experience in water quality
and storm water management.
Chesapeake Bay Program: Science. Restoration. Partnership. Chesapeake Bay Program Storm
water Runoff, 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/issue/stormwater_runoff#inline>.
Precipitation in an urban or suburban area that does not evaporate or soak into the ground but
instead runs across the land into the nearest waterway is called storm water runoff. It is one of the
fastest growing source of pollution. Fast-moving storm water runoff can erode stream banks,
damaging hundreds of miles of aquatic habitat. It can also push excess sediments into rivers and
streams, blocking sunlight from reaching underwater. Storm water runoff can lead to flooding in
urban and suburban areas. Forests, wetlands, and other vegetated areas can trap water and pollutants,
slowing the flow of storm water. But when development occurs these natural buffers are removed.
Impervious surfaces are paved or hardened surfaces that do not allow water to pass through.
Examples include roads, rooftops, sidewalks, pools, patios, and parking lots. They increase the
amount and speed of storm water runoff, which alters stream flow. Impervious surfaces limit the
amount of precipitation that is able to soak into the soil and replenish groundwater supplies.
According to the EPA, impervious surfaces present in urban areas generates five times more runoff
than a forested area of the same size. According to the Chesapeake Bay Program's Watershed Model,
storm water contributes 16% of nitrogen loads, 16% of phosphorus loads, and 25% of sediment
loads in the bay.

Overall this article was an interesting read but not very useful. It included information about
storm water drainage but it wasn't useful because I focused on this topic last year. It was very
repetitive from last year. Since this year I am focusing on storm water management policy and
legislation this source isn't useful. It is reliable source if you are doing more of scientific research
based topic because it provides you with real life examples going on in the county.
Dodson, Roy D.Storm Water Pollution Control. N.p.: McGraw-Hill, 1995. Print.
Industrial managers, construction professionals, and municipal employees know they must
comply with new Environmental Protection Agency and state storm water regulations - or risk heavy
fines and even jail time. This completely updated book gives those who must meet new federal and
local standards the tools necessary to satisfy the new requirements fully, efficiently, and
economically. It's your best and most complete source of information on actual EPA field
enforcement practices; the entire EPA Phase II standard; state-by-state storm water pollution
regulations; and more. It's your one-stop source for easy, cost-effective, and fully compliant storm
water management - and a volume that will pay for itself many times over. Maryland is a delegated
NPDES state with general permitting authority. The state has issued general permits form storm
water discharge from construction sites and industrial facilities. Maryland has controls on sediment
discharge for several years. Sediment controls are required for all projects disturbing 5000 ft^2.
Better Site Design (BSD), is an effort to mimic natural systems along the whole stormwater flow
path through combined application of a series of design principles throughout the development site.
The objective is to replicate forest or natural hydrology and water quality. ESD practices are
considered at the earliest stages of design, implemented during construction and sustained in the
future as a low maintenance natural system. Each ESD practice incrementally reduces the volume of
stormwater on its way to the stream, thereby reducing the amount of conventional stormwater
infrastructure required. Example practices include preserving natural areas, minimizing and
disconnecting impervious cover, minimizing land disturbance, conservation (or cluster) design, using
vegetated channels and areas to treat stormwater, and incorporating transit, shared parking, and
bicycle facilities to allow lower parking ratios.
Overall this source was decent. It did not provide that much information about BSD. It just
provided general information about BSD. But did this article did spark my interest to search deeper
about BSD and ESD and learn more about it. It provided useful information about the Environmental
Protection Agency's role in establish standards to encourage storm water and water quality
improvements.

Elfring, Chris. New Strategies for America's Watersheds. N.p.: National Academy of Sciences, 1999.
Print.
In the Bay's tributaries, eroded material and dirt from the land become suspended in the
water, blanketing aquatic habitat. This sediment keeps sunlight from reaching underwater grasses. As
these plants die, the animals that rely on them are imperiled.And it is not only wildlife that is
endangered by stormwater pollution. The state of Maryland, for example, cautions people not to
swim in waterways for 48 hours after a heavy rain. Stormwater carrying bacteria has resulted in
serious illnesses. In urban and suburban areas where ground surfaces have been hardened and the
polluted water has no place to go, local streets and basements often flood, causing repeated and
costly damage to homes and businesses.
Overall this article was not very helpful for my topic. It focused more on the negative aspect
of storm water drainage and not how it could be improved or possible solutions. But it was an
interesting article to read and I could possibly include a statistic from this article in my research
paper. It didn't include any information on policy and environmental management.
"Green Infrastructure Network." Live Green Howard County. Howard County Office of
Community Sustainability, 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2015.
<http://livegreenhoward.com/green/land/green-infrastructure/>.
Green Infrastructure is a network of interconnected waterways, wetlands, forest, meadows,
and other natural areas. It helps support native plant and animal species, maintain ecological
processes, sustain air and water resources and improve overall health and quality of life for
communities. The building blocks of Green Infrastructure is hubs and corridors. Hubs are natural
areas that provide habitat for plant and animal life. This can include examples such as state and
regional parks, community parks and natural areas that feature examples of improvement such as
rain gardens. Corridors are linear features that tie hubs together, examples include river and stream
valley corridors and forested upland corridors. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources
developed a Statewide Green Infrastructure Plan which includes Howard County hubs such as
Patuxent River and Patapsco State Parks. Howard County's Green Infrastructure Network Plan(GI
Plan) refines and expands on Maryland's Green Infrastructure network to include countywide areas.
It includes watershed plans, decisions for zoning and developments, and transportation plans. A PDF
of the plan is available on the Live Green Howard website.
Overall this source was very informative and could be a topic that I might focus on for my
paper. This source is useful to inform the general public audience but isn't the best for an in-depth
research paper. This is reliable source because it is maintained by a county department(my
internship) and the information is properly sourced from the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources.

Lawford, Richard, Denise Fort, and Holly Hartmann.Water: Science, Policy, and
Management. Washington D.C: American Geophysical Unioin, 2003. Print.
The guidance for Federal Land management is divided into 6 categories; Agriculture, Urban
and Suburban Areas, Forestry, Riparian Area Management, Decentralized Wastewater Treatment
Systems, and Hydromodification. Agriculture can implement practices base on source in-field and
edge of field controls to protect water quality. Development incorporating watershed planning,
smart, growth, low-impact designs and practices, and retrofits is critical to protect the Bay from
urban and suburban runoff. Well managed forests are the most beneficial land use for clean water.
Large areas of healthy forest and streamside forests are essential to keeping nutrient and sediment
pollution out of the rivers and Bay. Riparian areas are the natural buffers between uplands and
adjacent waterbodies. Decentralized wastewater treatment systems serve millions of homes in the
Bay watershed adding 12.5 million pounds of nitrogen to the Bay each year. The term
hydromodification refers to the alteration of the hydrologic characteristics of water bodies, which in
turn could cause degradation of water resources.
Overall this article was decent. It provided a lot of information and was very informative
about my topic. I learned about hydromodification and what that consisted of. I also learned what a
decentralized wastewater treatment system was and how that effects the Chesapeake Bay and
stormwater drainage. Also to address this topic it is organized into 6 sections which all have to be
modified and work together to accomplish one goal.
Live Green Howard. Live Green: HowardCounty. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
<http://livegreenhoward.com/>.
Live Green Howard is managed by my internship, the Howard County Office of Community
Sustainability, therefore is a reliable and accurate source. The website provides information on what
you can do to help improve overall environmental issues such as energy consumption. The website
also provide information on local businesses and non-profits that provide service that are Ecofriendly or can help in the completion of a project(includes divisions such as energy, health, and
land.) The website provides interactive material to engage learning such as a interactive map of the
Green Infrastructure Network in Howard County and there is also information on upcoming events
in the county relating to any topic. Lastly the website provides information on efforts going on in
Howard County, things that have already occurred, and future plans.

Maryland. Gen. Assem. Assembly.Stormwater Management - Watershed Protection and Restoration

Program. 987th Gen. Assem. N.p.: n.p., 2012. Print.

Synopsis: Requiring a county or municipality subject to a specified municipal stormwater

permit to adopt and implement laws or ordinances to establish a watershed protection and restoration
program on or before July 1, 2013; exempting a county or municipality if the county or municipality
has enacted and implemented a specified system of charges in a specified manner by a specified
date; requiring the program to include a stormwater remediation fee and a local watershed protection
and restoration fund; etc. The Law: On May 2, 2012, Governor OMalley signed into law House Bill
987. In short, the law requires jurisdictions within Maryland subject to a federal Municipal Separate
Storm Sewer System (MS4) Phase I permit to establish a local stormwater protection and restoration
program and implement a local stormwater fee to fund that Program by July 1, 2013.Goal: The
purpose of the law is to establish the local means and funding to provide for the remediation and
maintenance of the states stormwater management facilities, streams and creeks in its most heavily
developed areas. Counties and Property owners affected: Counties and municipalities impacted by
this mandate include Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard,
Montgomery, and Prince Georges counties and Baltimore City. Property owned by the State and
municipalities are exempt from the fees; federal properties and properties owned by most non-profit
organizations are subject to the fees. How the fees are calculated: The state law authorizes local
jurisdictions to charge property owners fees based on a flat rate, by a graduated amount based on
impervious surface or by other reasonable methods. Jurisdictions are required to give credit against
the fee charged to property owners to account for measures that reduce the quantity or improve the
quality of stormwater discharged from a property, along with those subject to substantial economic
hardship.Howard County Bill No. CB8-2013 was formally introduced to the City Council on
February 4, 2013, to implement the required Program. A separate Resolution,CR21-2013has been
presented to the County Council to establish rates charged to property owners under the County
program established by CB8-2013. As proposed, the bill and resolution would establish an annual
fee of $7.80 per Impervious Unit (500 square feet of impervious area) charged to any residential,
commercial or industrial property owner in the County. However, the County would apply a 50%
reduction to the impervious area assessed for a property subject to a Site Development Plan that was
filed with the County on or after January 1, 2003, rounded to the nearest whole Impervious Unit.
Annual credits for the use of storm water treatment practices on properties not eligible for this
automatic reduction would also be available public hearing on the bill and resolution occurred on
February 19, 2013. The bill and resolution were both tabled by the County Council at their last
meeting on March 4th; they will be subject to a vote of the Council on or after March 28th.
So far this is the best source that I have found. It is direct evidence of the history of the rain
tax. The only issue is that it doesn't include information on the most current situation of the tax. It is
a very reliable source because it is a first hand account of the meeting for the tax and includes the
legislation for the creation of it. The article itself is abundant in information and is very informative.
It is understandable and easy to interpret.

"No Single Raindrop Is Responsible for the Flood: Clean Water Howard Begins with You." Clean
H20ward: Howard County Stormwater Solutions. Howard County Office of Community
Sustainability, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2015. <https://www.cleanwaterhoward.com/>.

Stormwater is falling rain or melting snow that can't be absorbed by pervious surfaces or that
flows off impervious surfaces and enters Howard County's stormwater drainage systemeventually
flowing to the Chesapeake Bay. Along the way, the runoff picks up pollutants and carries them to
local streams and rivers, where they can harm plants and animals and even cause erosion and
flooding. Stormwater is an issue that affects all of usand we all play an important role. Howard
County is committed to reducing stormwater runoff. You can help improve the quality of
yourcommunity waterways by adopting stormwater management practices that help stormwater
absorb into theground, reuse it, or control it. Residentially the majority of Howard County land is
privately owned, you can reduce stormwater runoff by incorporating pervious surfaces into your
home and yard or install a rain garden and add rain barrels to capture and reuse rainwater. Nonresidential/Commercially you can reduce stormwater runoff by replacing impervious surfaces like
asphalt parking lots and cement sidewalks with permeable pavement, installing rain gardens or a
green roof to help absorb and filter runoff, and using rain barrels. As a non-profit organization, you
can participate in Howard Countys unique partnership program, which provides credits and grants
to non-profit property owners to assist in the cost of implementing stormwater management
practices. If you own an agriculturally assessed parcel, you can reduce stormwater runoff and be a
part of the solution by adopting a soil conservation and water quality plan or a woodland
management plan. Howard County sponsors many outreach initiatives that promote stormwater
management: The County is piloting the University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension Programs
Stormwater Management and Restoration Tracker (SMART) tool, which tracks small-scale
stormwater practices that improve water quality and reduce water quantity entering our waterways.
As through youth programs such as READY (Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth.)
The county also hosts rain garden workshops and rain barrel distributions. The Chesapeake Bay and
Marylands streams and rivers continue to suffer from significant water quality problems caused by
stormwater. To help, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maryland
Department of the Environment (MDE) have increased the stormwater management requirements
for local governments. In order to improve water quality and comply with our permits, Howard
County must increase activity and funding for our stormwater program. The Watershed Protection
Fee aims to improve the water quality of streams in your backyard, other local waterways, and the
Chesapeake Bay, by funding projects that treat Howard County stormwater runoff. All property
owners are charged a fee based on the size of their property or the amount of impervious area on
their property that allows untreated stormwater to run off to the nearest stream.
This article was very useful and helped me narrow down the topic for my research paper. I
decided that I want to branch off my topic that I focused on for last year. I would like to write my
paper on the history of the rain tax and bring to light the importance/role of the rain tax and educate
others about it. This article is useful for me to start off and will give me a lead into other sources that
I will be able to find to use for my paper.

Okal, Emile K. "The quest for wisdom: lessons from 17 tsunamis, 20042014."
Royal Society Publishing: 1-14. Print.
The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman tsunami killing 225,000 people was considered one of the most
devastating tsunamis recorded in history. As of today we are unable foresee the impact of the next

tsunami and identify when it will exactly occur. Researchers use the "wisdom index" to estimate the
impact of a tsunami. Education is important because "saving human lives is easier when individuals
are educated to the risks in question." Substantial progress has been made in terms of controlling
tsunami hazard. A major challenge remains in "tsunami earthquakes", which are events which are not
strong enough to alarm the population at risk but yet have dangerous potential. A major cause of
mega-earthquakes is due to young and fast tectonic plates at subduction zones.
Overall this article was very interesting to read and the topic was interesting but I do not
think that it will be useful for my research paper. The topic is a gray area and not that much reliable,
factual information could be found on the topic. It applies to an international level issue and I would
like to focus more on local issue because it would have a more meaningful impact on me.
Pamela, Wood, and Wheeler B. Timothy. "Repeal of 'Rain Tax' Requirement yet to Trickle
down to Most Area Homeowners."Baltimore Sun19 Apr. 2015: n. pag. Print.
Eiminating the "rain tax" was the signature achievement of Gov. Larry Hogan's first
legislative session. The rain tax is the stormwater fees that the state's 10 largest jurisdictions were
required to charge property owners. But most property owners in the Baltimore region will still pay
the fees. Harford was one of the first to eliminate it. While the General Assembly agreed to lift the
demand that Baltimore and the nine largest counties charge the fees, state law still requires them to
come up with the money for projects to safeguard and improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
Baltimore County cut its fees by a third. Howard County is waiting at least a year to make changes.
And there's been no move to make any changes in Baltimore City. Carroll County instituted a $0 fee
before the election. Officials there agreed to dedicate a portion of the county's property tax revenue
to stormwater cleanup projects. Baltimore and the counties still are required to restore streams, plant
trees and do other work to fight the runoff of pollution to the bay. But now they can decide for
themselves how to pay for it . But Marylanders will benefit from the passage of the repeal of the rain
tax, important improvements in our charter school law and tax relief for retired military.
Environmentalists who initially opposed changes in the storm water fee mandate say they
agree with the version that passed, because counties still have to complete storm water pollution
projects, must document how they're paying for the work, and can be fined for failing to comply. The
bill applies to Maryland's 10 largest jurisdictions, which already must follow federal requirements
for cleaning up their polluted runoff. Storm water is a growing source of pollution in the bay,
because it is the one source that is increasing, and projects to curb runoff are expensive. It's unclear
what effect the state law will have on each county's fees. Carroll County received state approval last
year to forego the storm water fee and dedicate a portion of property tax revenue to funding storm
water projects instead. Harford County is headed down a similar path after repealing its fee in
January and choosing to pay for the projects with revenue from its real estate recordation tax instead.
The county plans to use proceeds from the recordation tax to stabilize stream banks and turn old
stormwater holding ponds into wetlands, among other work. Howard County Executive Allan
Kittleman says the new law might help in his eventual efforts to repeal his county's fees, which range
from $15 to $90 per year for homeowners. Kittleman said his staff will spend the next year looking
for other ways to fund stormwater projects before he tries to repeal the fee. He campaigned on
eliminating the fee, but held off after a committee reviewed county finances and recommended
against it. Baltimore County cut its fees by a third this year after costs for the county's projects came
in lower than expected. Homeowners will now be charged between $14 and $26 per year . Dozens of
local environmentalists filled the council chambers to urge the seven council members to keep the

fees. The council's three Democrats and one of the Republicans voted to keep the fees. Baltimore
City and other Democartic jurisdictions, including Montgomery, Prince George's and Charles
counties in the Washington suburbs, have shown no interest in reducing or eliminating their fees. In
Charles County, property owners have been charged a flat $43 storm water fee. It's due to go up to
$47 this summer. Montgomery County established a storm water fee more than a decade before the
state bill. Homeowners pay an average of $88. The majority of people accept the fee.
This is a very useful article because it provides direct examples of what is going on in each
county. Also this is a reliable source because it is run by the local newspaper and it isn't an opinion
piece just plain factual statements. It provides information on each county including Howard and
shows the progression of the tax. It will be very useful for paper and providing strong supporting
data and examples.
Pelton, Tom. "The Truth about the 'Tax on Rain.'"Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Bay Daily.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
<http://cbf.typepad.com/bay_daily/2013/04/a-tax-on-rain-try-investments-in-local-healthand-jobs-local-governments-across-maryland-are-voting-to-create.html>.
The 'rain tax' is not literally a tax on the rain it is an investment in local health and jobs.
Local governments are voting to create new stormwater pollution control fees, as required by 2012
state law and EPA pollution limits for Chesapeake Bay. Many people mock the fees as a 'driveway
tax' because they are based on how many square feet of blacktop and other impervious surfaces exist
on a property. More the blacktop, the higher the amount of polluted water that is deposited in
streams then the bay. Instead of focusing on costs of stormwater pollution control projects we should
look at the benefits such s better health for fish, oyster, crabs, and even people. In Maryland there are
restraints that you can't swim 48 hours after a rain because stormwater flushes bacteria from dog
waste, failing septic tanks, and other sources into local swimming beaches. Stormwater control
projects also create jobs for construction works and engineers. There are easy steps homeowners and
businesses can take to reduce their proposed stormwater fees which in Howard County cost about
$15 per 500 square feet of impervious surface. The stormwater fee law passed by the Maryland
General Assembly in 2012 for the states 10 largest municipalities requires local governments to
carve out fee reductions that people can earn by following stormwater control strategies on their
properties. These include installing rain barrels to catch runoff from roofs; planting gardens with
native plants in ditches to absorb and filter stormwater; and constructing driveways and parking lots
from materials that water can pass through. For example, Howard County will reimburse business
owners and homeowners up to 50 percent of the cost of installing porous concrete pavers in the place
of blacktop. The property owners annual stormwater fee would also go down, because the fee is
based on a rate of $15 per 500 feet of impervious surfaces. So the smaller the hard surface, the lower
the annual bill.
Overall this article was useful. I learned a lot about what went on at the state level but not so
much on the county level. It was an interesting article to read and provided me with a good
overview. It provided me with useful broad topic. The website provided me with links to other useful
resources for future research or reference. I want to focus more on a countywide level on what is
going in Howard. This is so it has more of a personal connection and people can relate so this will
have more of impact on those that read it.

Rockler, Amanda. "Understanding Howard Countys Stormwater Remediation Fee."UMD

Extension: Solutions in Your Community. N.p., Jan. 2014. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
<https://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/publications/EBR-25%20Understanding
%20Howard%20County's%20Stormwater%20Remediation%20Fee.pdf>.
Stormwater runoff originates during precipitation when water flows over the ground.
Impervious surfaces such as streets and rooftops increase runoff by preventing water from soaking
into the ground. Water running over impervious surfaces can pick up sediment, chemicals, debris,
and toxins which are carried to local waterways. These pollutants prevent waterways from being
fishable and swimmable. In 2012, the State of Maryland passed the Watershed Protection and
Restoration Program (HB-987) which mandates that counties subject to a certain municipal
stormwater permit institute a stormwater remediation fee. The purpose of the charge is to manage
pollution carried by stormwater into local waterways. The collected charges are placed in a dedicated
fund and used to finance projects that treat polluted stormwater. Examples of these projects include,
but are not limited to, street sweeping, storm drain cleaning, stormwater facility inspection,
maintenance and upgrades, tree planting, water quality monitoring, watershed planning, and
stormwater educational programming. The stormwater remediation fee is similar to fees for other
public services such as sewer, drinking water, and state highways. Who has to pay the Stormwater
Remediation Fee? The stormwater remediation fee applies to the nine largest counties in Maryland
(Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince
Georges) and Baltimore City, which are Howard, Montgomery, and Prince Georges) and Baltimore
City, which are federally required to treat stormwater runoff. Residents, businesses, and institutions
in these areas are all required to pay the fee. The fee structure is established independently by each
county/city and differs across the State. Residential properties will pay: $15 for owners of
townhouses and condominiums; $45 for owners of homes on lots up to one-quarter acre; $90 for
owners of homes on lots larger than one-quarter acre; $15 per unit for an apartment complex.
Commercial, industrial, and institutional properties will pay: $15 per 500 square feet of impervious.
Check out website for more detailed information. The County provides one-time reimbursements for
costs incurred for the construction or implementation of additional stormwater practices on all
properties. The practices accepted, the minimum criteria required, and the reimbursement rates will
vary and are defined by County Council Resolution.
Overall this article was extremely useful. It provided a lot of depth information about my
topic. I learned more about situations occurring around me that deal with my topic and how it
impacts me. This source provided me with a lot of information about the short term effect as well as
the long term effect. It gives useful to the average person that might not have prior knowledge of this
issue.
"Stormwater Management Background. Howard County Stormwater Solutions. Howard County
Office of Community Sustainability, 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
<https://www.cleanwaterhoward.com/watershed-protection-fee/faqs>.

Stormwater begins as rain or water from melting snow that falls on, or washes over, pervious
and impervious surfaces. Pervious surfacessuch as grass, woodlands, gardens, and other
undeveloped landallow stormwater to be absorbed by the ground via natural infiltration.
Impervious surfacessuch as roofs, driveways, parking lots, streets, and other hard surfacesare
impenetrable and do not allow stormwater to be absorbed. Stormwater runoff is created from excess
water that cannot be absorbed by pervious surfaces, or from water flowing off impervious areas.
Rather than being absorbed into the ground, this stormwater runoff enters Howard Countys
stormwater drainage systema network of catch basins, inlets, pipes, ponds, and swales. The water
is diverted through this network to local streams, rivers, and lakesand eventually to the
Chesapeake Bay. Stormwater causes problems related to both the quantity and the quality of water
reaching our streams, rivers, and ultimately, the Bay. Stormwater runoff picks up anything in its path
and delivers it to our water resourcesincluding oil from cars, yard waste, fertilizers, litter, pet
waste, and sediment. These pollutants impair stormwater quality, which harms plant and animal life
in streams and other waterways. In addition to this pollution, stormwater can cause flooding, erosion,
and property damage if not properly managed. Higher volumes of stormwater flow, due to a lack of
absorption through natural infiltration, can impair the aquatic environment for plant and animal life
and cause stream erosion that results in additional pollutants entering our waterways, such as
sediment. Historically, stormwater management meant diverting rainwater into existing streams
via pipes or open channels to keep it away from streets and properties. The emphasis was to protect
citizens, buildings, and roads from flood dangers and property damage. These strategies managed the
amount of water in certain areas but did nothing to make the water cleaner. In recent years,
stormwater management has been redefined to include new best management practices (BMPs) that
help remove or keep pollutants out of the water entering the storm drain system and slow down the
water to prevent erosion. Similar to the water utility that supports drinking water treatment and
distribution infrastructure, or the electricity management program that ensures the delivery of power,
the stormwater management program is tasked with the maintenance and improvement of extensive
water drainage systems. These systems consist of storm drains, catch basins, underground pipes,
open channels, culverts, ponds, and streams that receive the stormwater. Program activities include;
the administration, planning, implementation, and maintenance of the stormwater structures that
reduce stormwater flow and the introduction of pollutants into local waterways. These include large
stormwater ponds and smaller BMPs like rain gardens; the installation, operation, maintenance, and
replacement of public drainage systems; activities necessary to maintain compliance with the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer
System (MS4) Permit requirements established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). Examples are public education and
outreach on the impact of stormwater, illicit discharge detection and elimination. For over 30 years,
efforts have been underway in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to improve the quality of the Bay and
surrounding streams and rivers. While progress has been made, the Bay and Marylands streams and
rivers continue to suffer from significant water quality problems. Through the MS4 permit, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)
have increased the requirements for local governments to better manage stormwater. The new
requirements are important to improve water quality, but they come at a cost that is beyond the
normal expenditures that communities have traditionally devoted to stormwater management. In
order to improve water quality and comply with our permits, we must increase activity and funding
for our stormwater program. In 2012, the Maryland State Legislature passed a law which mandates
that the 10 largest jurisdictions in the state create a stormwater protection fee by July 1, 2013. This

Watershed Protection Fee (WPF), which is also referred to as the Stormwater Utility Fee or the
Stormwater Remediation Fee, is a service fee like water, sewer, gas, power, and other utility service
fees. The Watershed Protection Fee (WPF) provides a sustainable, dedicated source of revenue for
the purpose of operating, maintaining, and improving the physical infrastructure of the Countys
stormwater management system, and for practices to improve stormwater quality. The funds may
also be used to support educational stormwater programs in an effort to engage communities and
enlist their support in identifying problems and working on solutions to improve water quality. The
2015 Maryland General Assembly passed and the Governor signed SB 863, which lifted the state
mandate requiring 10 local jurisdictions to establish a Watershed Protection Fee. However, this bill
did not lift the federal mandate requiring local jurisdictions to treat impervious surfaces (such as
parking lots) within their borders. Howard County is still required to treat 20 percent of its total
currently untreated impervious area by 2019 under present requirements. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2015,
Howard County experienced a $15.8 million shortfall, requiring mid-year budget cuts. Further, the
county anticipates only $15.6 million in increased revenue for FY 2016, with the majority of that
money automatically assigned to the Howard County Public School System to fulfill the States
Maintenance of Effort formula. This challenging fiscal situation led the Spending Affordability
Committee to recommend the continuation of the Watershed Protection Fee for FY 2016. Based on
this recommendation, the County Executive determined it to be fiscally prudent to continue the
Watershed Protection Fee for FY 2016. The stormwater system is in place to manage the polluted
runoff moving across impervious areas on a property that subsequently enters a storm drain or
County stream. Users are charged a fee based on the amount of impervious area on their property
that allows stormwater to run off, untreated, which is then managed by the Countys stormwater
system. The fee is tied to the amount a property impacts the system.The Watershed Protection Fee is
tied to a propertys impact on the stormwater system. The fee is used to operate, maintain, and
improve the stormwater drainage system in the same way that water bill payments are used to
operate, maintain, and improve the water delivery system.The Watershed Protection Fee provides
funding for stormwater sewer infrastructure operation, repairs, and upgrades, BMP controls to
manage stormwater flow and reduce pollutants in our waterways, MS4 permit compliance, including
monitoring and enforcement, stormwater education, outreach, and incentive programs. All
properties that impact the stormwater sewer system will be charged the Watershed Protection Fee.
Any property with impervious areassuch as rooftops, driveways, parking pads, etc.contributes
to stormwater runoff and impacts the storm sewer system. (More detailed information is provided on
website) Properties developed under a Site Development Plan (SDP) dated after January 1, 2003,
are eligible for a 50% credit, provided the stormwater controls designed for the property are still
present, functioning as intended, and maintained.
Overall this article was very useful. It provided a lot of statistics that will be useful in the
future when writing the paper. It provided information on storm water and impervious surfaces. Also
this website is a very reliable website because it is program run by the Office of Community
Sustainability and will be updated regularly. It will be able to provide other useful information,
pictures, and diagrams. It goes very in depth about the legislation and history behind the tax. I
learned that a lot of the influence behind the tax was state level legislation through the MS4 permit.
"United States Environmental Protection Agency." United States Environmental
Protection Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
<http://www3.epa.gov/>.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the U.S. federal
government which was created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by
writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The EPA has its headquarters
in Washington, D.C., regional offices for each of the agency's ten regions, and 27 laboratories. The
agency conducts environmental assessment, research, and education. It has the responsibility of
maintaining and enforcing national standards under a variety of environmental laws, in consultation
with state, tribal, and local governments. It delegates some permitting, monitoring, and enforcement
responsibility to U.S. states and the federally recognized tribes. EPA enforcement powers include
fines, sanctions, and other measures. The agency also works with industries and all levels of
government in a wide variety of voluntary pollution prevention programs and energy conservation
efforts. The website itself is very reliable because it is a governmental regulated organization and
will provide accurate information on issues occurring.
Zolper, Tom. "The Truth About the 'Rain Tax.'"Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Saving a National
Treasure. Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 13 July 2013. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
<http://cbf.typepad.com/chesapeake_bay_foundation/2013/07/the-truth-about-the-raintax.html>.
You undoubtedly have heard the term "rain tax." Fox News started using the term earlier this
year. Local news outlets picked it up. It is a catchy label, but it misrepresents and smears an
otherwise praiseworthy state initiative. Basically, the state is asking residents and businesses in its
more populated areas to help solve a serious problem that largely originates with them, urban
polluted runoff. Of all the water pollution problems we face, urban runoff generally is the least
understood, and the most expensive to fix. Sure, we've heard that farm manure, fertilizer, and sewage
plants pollute the Chesapeake Bay. But another major source is the rain that runs off our parking lots,
driveways, roofs, and other hard surfaces. Around the Bay region, this source of pollution causes
about 16 percent of the excess nitrogen in the Bay. But the percent is far higher in many creeks and
rivers. Urban runoff has been a problem for years. But not enough was done to address it. It's
actually getting worse as development continues to sprawl out to our rural areas, and more fields and
forests are turned into malls and housing developments.
This article was not very useful. It is very opinionated and isn't completely support properly.
The tone is almost comical in the opening statement and is not very professional. It provides the
similar points mentioned in an earlier source. The article does not provide accurate and reliable
sources from which the information was derived so we don't know the authors liability and know if
they are correct or not.