Council committee backs upstream stormwater retrofits and flood-modeling funding

The Montgomery County Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee on March 17 recommended several stormwater and storm drain CIP amendments designed to advance flood modeling and upstream mitigation work.

Committee members unanimously supported a $1,900,000 increase for the Stormwater Management Comprehensive Flood Management Plan to move into Phase 2 of modeling work. The committee also approved shifting $1,500,000 in related funding to partially offset cost increases. In response to council direction, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recommended a $2,400,000 increase to support three new upstream stormwater management retrofit projects intended to capture runoff closer to sources and reduce downstream stream erosion and flooding.

T&E also recommended a technical decrease of $378,000 in the storm drain CIP tied to acceleration of planned work (charging to FY24 instead of FY25).

Council members and DEP staff discussed the balance between upstream retrofits and stream restoration projects, noting that stream restoration remains an important tool (and can generate regulatory credit under the county's NPDES permit) but that an emphasis on upland/source controls can reduce downstream impacts. Members said DEP has engaged critics and supporters and will continue both upland and stream work where warranted. A larger set of March 14 amendments to the stormwater implementation plan will be taken up as part of the operating budget deliberations in April and May.

The committee's actions were recommendations; final council votes on CIP amendments are scheduled for May with the operating budget.