Anne Arundel County, Md., will now offer up to $10,000 in tax credit to people making efforts to reduce storm water pollution on their properties. Other solutions to the region's billion-dollar problem, however, have yet to emerge after months of political debate.
The county council passed the tax credit, proposed by Council Chairperson Cathy Vitale, and it is set to be administered over five years. Uncontrolled pollutant-bearing storm water runoff has caused about a $1 billion backlog of damage within the county's 12 watersheds, none of which meet federal Clean Water Act standards. Environmentalists, local politicians and other community decision makers continue to clash over deciding how to raise the funds needed, but at least one private meeting is planned for leaders.
"We're seeing if there is some common ground, if we can find some common ground," said Councilman Josh Cohen. "It's unclear if we'll be able to get there, but we should know [soon] whether we're going to be able to work it out, or if it's just not going to happen for the time being."
At issue currently is whether residents will pay a voluntary or mandatory $30 annual storm water tax.
"I think we want to incentivize people to make improvements to already developed properties," Cohen said. "My concern is that we're not going to be able to tackle the $1 billion backlog of public stream restoration without a pool of public money to do it."
Vitale said the tax credit is a solid first step toward nipping storm water problems in the bud. "I really believe this county recognizes the importance of their water resouces," she said. "If residents knew what to do and realized [the options] were financially affordable, I believe people would help."
