Howard County students urge council to curb stream restorations in MS4 financial-assurance plan

Middle school students told the Howard County Council on Monday that the county should limit the use of stream restorations in its MS4/NPDES financial-assurance plan and focus on upland, out-of-stream stormwater management.

The students, from an environmental seminar led by teacher Robin Page, presented photos, carbon-storage claims and neighborhood examples and urged the council to reduce the share of MS4 compliance work delivered as stream restorations and in-stream channel work. "We are the future of Howard County. Save our dreams," said Paige, a student presenter.

The students argued that stream restorations remove mature trees, compact soil with heavy machinery, reduce biodiversity and produce planted streambanks that they said are less effective than preserving existing wetlands and trees. They proposed using more upland best-management practices (BMPs) such as rain gardens, bioretention areas, and street-tree canopy strategies and asked the county to require public notice and hearings before permitting individual stream-restoration projects.

County staff briefed council members that the financial-assurance plan is a planning document timed to…