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The Maryland Department of the Environment is reviewing local governments’ plans for water supplies, wastewater, and stormwater.
As local jurisdictions worked in recent months to meet a State deadline for submitting these plans, known as Water Resources Elements (WREs), the Maryland Department of the Environment received a flood of WREs for review.
Local jurisdictions with planning and zoning authority are required to include future plans for water supplies, wastewater, and stormwater, along with reasonable population projections as measures for protecting sensitive areas such as wetlands. The deadline for submitting the first set of WREs was October 1, 2009.
MDE assembled a team of seven staff specialists to review each plan and submit comments to the Maryland Department of Planning. MDE comments typically address:
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Wetlands and Waterways: Wetland mapping, floodplain mapping, habitat and resource protection, and site design considerations.
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Water Supply: Source water protection, permit limitations, drinking water quality, capacity issues, and water conservation recommendations.
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Wastewater: Permit limitations, including nutrient caps, and capacity issues.
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Water Quality and Non-point Source Analysis: Non-point source pollutant loading analysis, impaired waters, including total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), and high quality waters, including Tier II waters.
For further information about the requirements for Water Resources Element, please visit: http://planning.maryland.gov/OurWork/WaterResources.shtml. This site contains links to local comprehensive plans as well as guidance for preparing WREs.
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