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St. Mary's County adopts new stormwater, grading and sediment-control ordinance
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners repealed and reenacted the county’s stormwater management, grading, erosion and sediment control ordinance after internal review and a Maryland Department of the Environment sign-off; the change eliminates the county’s unused standard plan and clarifies professional design requirements.
The St. Mary's County Board of County Commissioners voted to repeal and reenact the county’s Stormwater Management, Grading, Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance after staff said the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) reviewed and accepted the revised text.
Bruce (Department of Public Works and Transportation staff) told the board that the county held multiple public meetings and a public hearing on Jan. 22; no members of the public spoke at the hearing and MDE sent a letter dated Feb. 20, 2013 indicating it was satisfied with the county’s revisions. “By the letter dated February 20, 2013 from MDE, they’re satisfied with our document,” an agency representative said during the presentation.
The ordinance update removes a county-developed “standard site plan” that staff said was seldom used because applicants typically preferred engineer-prepared plans. Under the new rules, any lot disturbance over 5,000 square feet generally requires a professionally prepared plan sealed by a licensed landscape architect, registered land surveyor or engineer; staff said the change responds to the technical complexity of current stormwater sizing and design requirements.
Staff described a continuing process to assist homeowners: where feasible, review staff will advise property owners how to reduce a project’s disturbance under the 5,000-square-foot threshold or phase work to avoid higher-design requirements. County attorneys and technical staff also reviewed the ordinance text to harmonize responsibilities between departments.
Commissioners discussed the cost implications for homeowners of requiring professional seals and asked staff about options to minimize expense; staff said in limited cases the county continues to accept a Soil Conservation District standard plan for older, grandfathered lots when applicable. After discussion, Commissioner Morgan moved to repeal and reenact the ordinance and Commissioner Jones seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.
The county said it delayed final adoption in part to allow construction projects begun before May 4, 2013, to complete under prior approvals. Staff said the rewrite removed requirements that were more restrictive than state rules and aimed to provide clearer assignment of duties among county departments.
