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Residents clash with county on stream restorations and stormwater financing during CIP hearing
Summary
Citizens and environmental advocates debated the merits and financing of stream-restoration projects and stormwater retrofits, with one group calling for shifting funds from engineered stream restorations to out-of-stream controls and others defending use of water-quality funds to avoid bond interest.
Local advocates used the public hearing to contest how Montgomery County funds stormwater and stream-restoration work, pressing the council to reconsider both methods and financing.
Kenneth Bauer of the Coalition to Stop Stream Destruction urged the council to transfer funding away from engineered stream restorations and toward non-destructive out-of-stream stormwater controls such as roadside bioswales and permeable pavement. Bauer cited published analyses he said show limited water-quality benefits from restorations and warned that some projects are repeatedly washed out by storms; he called current practice “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
By contrast, Danila Chabeiko highlighted an increase in the share of current revenue from the Water Quality Protection Fund in the FY27 proposed budget and framed that approach as a means to avoid long-term bond financing costs. "For every million dollars that we spend on these stream restorations, the cost of financing is over $800,000," Chabeiko said, arguing that using cash from the fund avoids paying interest to Wall Street.
The clerk also read a public hearing item for a countywide stormwater management retrofit (supplemental appropriation 26-50) requesting $11,327,000 and identifying the source as long-term financing. Speakers identified tensions between choosing projects that meet MS4 permit obligations, water-quality goals, and long-term debt considerations.
No formal vote on the appropriation was recorded in this session; the transportation and environmental committee work session will be scheduled later.
