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County advances $245M stormwater CIP, readies MS4 permit response and flood‑risk modeling
Summary
DEP presented a roughly $245 million stormwater management CIP to meet NPDES MS4 obligations, citing a current impervious‑acre restoration target of 1,814 acres. Staff described pay‑for‑performance contracting, stream restoration and new flood modeling (Sligo Creek pilot) and urged continued negotiations with MDE; committee advanced the package.
Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection told the Transportation and Environment Committee on Feb. 26 that it is moving to accelerate stormwater and flood‑management work to meet MS4 permit obligations and long‑term flood risks.
DEP said the stormwater management CIP before the committee is about $245 million and is primarily funded through the county’s water quality protection fund. "We are meeting all of the requirements, and we are poised to meet all of the requirements to satisfy the permit by 11/04/2026," Amy Stevens, chief of Watershed Restoration, said. DEP noted the current permit requires restoration of 1,814 impervious acres over five years.
Staff outlined a portfolio of treatments — stream restoration, pond retrofits, upland green infrastructure and a reforestation strategy — and said they will continue to use pay‑for‑performance contracting, which places delivery and credit‑risk on contractors. Stevens reported the county has already restored more than 7,000 impervious acres cumulatively and emphasized the higher per‑acre cost of some upstream green‑infrastructure measures (DEP cited roughly $80,000 per impervious acre for stream restoration vs. about $250,000 per impervious acre for upland green infrastructure).
DEP and the committee discussed the timing of a new MS4 permit and the county’s effort to work with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to seek flexibility in crediting operation and maintenance and other measures that DEP says carry value but receive limited credit under current metrics.
Separately, DEP presented flood‑modeling work led by Stan Edwards in which Sligo Creek served as a pilot watershed; the county will post model results to a flood‑risk explorer and expand the modeling to Rock Creek and other watersheds. Edwards said modeling will inform CIP prioritization and potential homeowner assistance, policy updates and outreach to reduce insurance risk.
The committee agreed to move the stormwater CIP forward and asked to draft a letter to MDE and other stakeholders to encourage creative, affordable permit approaches that recognize operation and maintenance and equity priorities.
What happens next: DEP will continue pay‑for‑performance projects and finalize permit negotiations while posting modeling results and hosting public meetings to inform residents and property owners.
