Dorchester Delegation Seeks Pilot to Privatize Some On-site Sewage and Well Work; MDE Supports Guardrails

Delegate Tom Hutchinson presented House Bill 1124 on March 6, a pilot program that would allow Dorchester County to authorize qualified third-party contractors to perform select duties currently done by county environmental health specialists, with final approval retained by the county health official and MDE oversight.

Hutchinson described multiple constituent complaints about permitting and inspection delays, saying "we only have one environmental specialist" in Dorchester and that privatization could add capacity at no cost to the county. He said MDE provided a letter of support with amendments and emphasized that the environmental health officer would retain final approval of tests and plans.

Mike Detmer, Dorchester County Council vice president, told the committee the county is geographically large with limited developable land and that permitting backlogs were causing immediate problems for residents. "This could be an immediate improvement to the quality of life and a big help to our county," Detmer said.

Jeanne Haddaway Riccio, vice president of government relations for ROW, Inc., testified in support and said the framework would permit MDE and the county to set safeguards and checks. The bill's supporters described Delaware's model as an instructive example and noted the contractor fees would be paid by homeowners or developers, not the county or state.

In questioning, members sought details on how a privatization pilot would operate. Hutchinson said MDE would define qualifications and that approved contractors would perform initial testing, site planning and related work; the county environmental health specialist would retain final approval. The sponsor and MDE supporters indicated the pilot would include guardrails such as disallowing the same contractor from both approving a plan and performing the on-site work.

MDE told the committee it supports a pilot under the agency's oversight and would use the lessons learned to inform whether privatization should be considered more broadly across the state. Committee members asked about licensing, scope of contractor qualifications, and how homeowner protections would be written into the pilot.

No committee vote was recorded at the conclusion of the hearing; proponents asked the committee for a favorable report so Dorchester County could test whether limited privatization could reduce delays while preserving environmental and public-health protections.