Accounting for Growth

With the Chesapeake Bay “pollution diet” in place, states and smaller jurisdictions throughout the Bay watershed have ratified clean-up plans and are looking to put in place the revenue streams – like our recently passed stormwater utility fee – to generate the billions of dollars needed to clean up our waterways.  Simultaneously though, there is a need to hold the line on the growth of new pollution sources, whether it be from development, wastewater treatment plant expansion, or government infrastructure projects. 

With new pollution sources in mind, Maryland called for the development of an “Accounting for Growth” program as part of its Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) submittal to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  For the past 6 months, our Executive Director, Erik Michelsen, has served on a broad-based work group helping craft recommendations for the development of state’s “Accounting for Growth” regulations.  Once in place, these regulations will be designed to completely neutralize the nutrient and sediment pollution impacts of new developments, protecting the health of local waterways, and allowing the restoration work taking place to reduce overall pollution to the system, rather than keeping us on a treadmill where we continue to add pollution and foist its clean-up costs on the public-at-large.

Some refer to this as “nutrient trading,” others refer to it as “offsetting” (since it only pertains to new pollution loads, rather than existing ones).  Regardless of what it’s called, its goal is fairly simple:  Get prospective polluters to drive down their pollution levels as low as they can on-site – by installing best management practices, and minimizing impacts – and, if necessary, allow them to purchase nutrient “credits” off-site to completely neutralize their pollution impacts.  These off-site credits could come from septic upgrades, installation of agricultural best management practices, stormwater restoration work, or any of a variety of additional sources, where they will serve to drive down the pollution loads from existing sources.

Full implementation of the program is probably still over a year away, but by requiring new development to fully account for its impacts going forward, we are ensuring that economic growth remains consistent with healthy rivers and a vibrant Chesapeake Bay, and that the “true cost” of development is borne by those who benefit most from it.