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Baltimore County details PCB testing, stormwater work and reforestation needs in CIP briefing
Summary
The Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability outlined capital requests tied to MS4 permit compliance, PCB testing funded by the Monsanto settlement, stream and shoreline restoration, stormwater pond repairs and an urban reforestation target as part of the countycapital improvement discussion.
Horacio Tablada, director of the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability, told the Planning Board Subcommittee on the Capital Improvement Budget and Program that the departmentis prioritizing permit compliance, contaminated-sediment testing and traditional watershed work in its capital request.
Tablada said the countyis working under its MS4 permit with the Maryland Department of the Environment and that the permit"was last issued in November 2021. It will be renewed in 2026," making permit compliance a chief driver of capital spending. He described the federal Chesapeake Bay TMDL obligations as the umbrella goal that ties local restoration and stormwater projects together.
The department described four core capital categories: stream restoration, shoreline stabilization, stormwater best-management-practice (BMP) improvements and reforestation, plus a separate sustainability unit that reviews building energy performance and EV charging placement. Since the 1990s, Tablada said the county has completed dozens of projects: 106 stream-restoration projects through fiscal year 2025 at a stated county cost of about $177,000,000; 42 shoreline projects costing roughly $22,000,000; and 183 stormwater projects costing about $15,000,000.
Tablada told the committee the county must restore 3,167 acres of impervious surface under MS4-driven targets and that the department is approximately two-thirds of the way toward that goal. The department requested about $3.9 million for three stream projects in FY26 and proposed $14 million across FY27through FY29 for 10 additional projects.
On polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Tablada said Baltimore County is using funds from a settlement with Monsanto to expand testing and targeted response. "The county had received [approximately] $9,500,000 from this lawsuit that was settled last year," he said, and the county council approved additional authority for testing contracts so the department could increase laboratory sampling. Tablada said sampling is intended to locate PCB hotspots so state enforcement and responsible parties can address contamination; he cited Lockheed Martinwork in the Middle River area as an example of a responsible party remediation effort.
The department told the committee it submitted a countywide salt-management plan to MDE in December and is already rolling out practices to reduce over-application of deicing salt. Tablada said excessive chloride from salt can damage streams and affect drinking-water sources, noting the plan is intended to balance safety for residents with environmental protection.
Tablada also highlighted innovation pilots and maintenance needs: a floating treatment wetland pilot installed in White Marsh (about $144,000) to evaluate nutrient removal and temperature benefits, plans to add a second pilot in spring 2025, and ongoing maintenance and repair of roughly 1,500 stormwater facilities the county inspects and maintains (and periodic inspection responsibility for about 5,000 systems overall, many of which are HOA-owned).
The sustainability unit, a small team within the department, has directed capital funds to building-energy benchmarking and an EV charging siting study. Tablada said the unit managed about $2.3 million in FY24and FY25 capital activity, including $250,000 for EV charger study and software.
On reforestation the department requested $725,000 in FY26 to fund roughly 30 acres, and set a multi-year goal of roughly 50 acres of reforestation per year in future years. Tablada emphasized planting native trees and working with homeowners and community groups for placement.
Committee members pressed for specifics. Member Meneses asked whether the Monsanto funds had been spent; Tablada said the funds are held in a special account and are beginning to be used primarily for monitoring and testing contracts. Member Halepka asked how tree replacement is coordinated when trees fall; Tablada said the department coordinates with Recreation and Parks and public works and will prioritize replacement unless a treeis contributing to a hazard or flooding.
The department closed by asking the subcommittee for support for what it described as core, permit-driven capital investments and for continued funding to maintain momentum on stream, shoreline, stormwater and reforestation efforts.
More meeting detail: Tablada said the department employs about 93 people and that a sustainability unit of two to three staff is embedded in the organization. He identified Robert Ryan as the program manager who coordinates capital projects within the department and who oversees many restoration efforts.
Ending: The presentation concluded with committee questions and a pledge from Tablada to provide follow-up details on laboratory contracts, site-specific PCB sampling plans and the floating wetland pilot results as they become available.
