Maryland is taking a comprehensive approach to reducing pollutants and excess nutrients from entering its waterways. One area that can directly affect waterfront property owners is their septic system, or as Maryland prefers to call them, Onsite Sewer Disposal System (OSDS). Here are a few issues.
- BAT Requirements
- Financial Assistance
- Homeowners with Septic Systems are Not Alone
Excess nitrogen from septic systems, agricultural runoff, urban stormwater runoff, and deposits that settle out of the air, significantly contribute to the degradation of Chesapeake Bay’s water quality and the bay’s ability to sustain healthy and robust populations of fish, shellfish, and other wildlife. Maryland has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing excess nutrients from all sources and has taken a national leadership position on issues of air and water quality.
The most direct impact on current or prospective waterfront property owners are regulations affecting septic systems. There are approximately 420,000 septic systems in Maryland. Of these, 52,000 systems are located within the “Critical Area,” land within 1,000 feet of tidal waters. The traditional septic system does not remove nitrogen, and delvers about 30 pounds of nitrogen per year to the groundwater.
BAT Requirements
A nitrogen-removing septic system cuts a system’s nitrogen load in half. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has upgraded over 2,000 septic systems to nitrogen-removing Best Available Technology (BAT) systems through the Bay Restoration Fund (BRF) Onsite Sewer Disposal System (OSDS) grant program. Legislation passed in 2009 requires all new construction and septic system upgrades within the 1,000 foot critical area to include nitrogen-removing BAT.
Four different OSDSes have passed MDE field tests and others are in the evaluation stage. The MDE website provides contact information within each Maryland jurisdiction for possible grant funding and the names of approved BAT vendors.
Financial Assistance
Administering the Bay Restoration Fund OSDS grant program has been passed by MDE to counties and municipalities. Monies are generated by a small surcharge on all septic system users.
Due to high demand, the MDE now targets funding to those systems that pose the greatest risk to water quality. The priority level is defined as follows: 1) failing septic systems in the Critical Area, 2) failing septic systems outside the Critical Area, 3) non-failing systems in Critical Area, and 4) all other systems, including new construction.
Failing septic systems within the critical area may qualify for 100 percent funding via the grant program. Others may qualify for a percentage of upgrade costs based upon their reported income.
Homeowners with Septic Systems are Not Alone
As previously mentioned, Maryland is taking a comprehensive approach to reducing nitrogen and other chemicals from entering the groundwater, and eventually, the bay. The BRF also helps fund planting winter cover crops on agricultural lands near tidal shores. These crops help absorb the unused nitrogen from fertilizer dispersed during the growing season.
MDE also slated the 66 largest wastewater treatment plants for upgrades to Enhanced Nutrient Reduction (ENR) standards. Upgrading these 66 wastewater treatment plants will, by conservative estimates, eliminate 7.5 million pounds of nitrogen and 260,000 pounds of phosphorus from entering the bay each year.
And new rules took effect in May 2009 requiring environmental site design for new construction that would reduce pollutants from urban stormwater runoff.
Information presented in this article is believed to be accurate. However, legislation and enforcement are subject to change and interpretation. It is recommended that you contact your local government land use department in order to discern how regulations are enforced in your area. This information is presented without warranty.
