BALTIMORE, MD (March 16, 2011) – The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), in conjunction with the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Soil Conservation Districts (SCDs) has published the “2011 Model Stormwater Management Standard Plan for Poultry House Site Development on Maryland's Eastern Shore.” The Standard Plan is intended to be used by the SCDs, County stormwater management authorities, and local designers to facilitate the development of poultry operations on the Eastern Shore.
The following is a joint statement from MDE Acting Secretary Robert M. Summers and MDA Secretary Buddy Hance:
"This model provides a design template to help Maryland farmers construct new poultry houses with a standard plan that meets new federal and state requirements to control stormwater runoff. The model simplifies and streamlines the process, helps to lower the cost for farmers, and takes advantage of the agricultural nature of a site to reduce polluted stormwater runoff.
"Maryland’s farmers continue to make strides in cleaning up local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay, which is so vital to our State’s economy, environment, and public health. We’re pleased today to release this plan to help farmers construct new poultry houses and expand their operations while protecting water quality at the same time."
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The proposed plan reflects the heightened requirements of the Stormwater Management Act of 2007 by implementing environmental site design (ESD) to the maximum extent practicable. The Standard Plan includes multiple ESD practices, namely non-rooftop disconnections, grass swales, infiltration, and wetlands. MDE has developed detailed site development plans for 12 different design options. A standard layout has been developed for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 poultry houses. MDE also developed a “calculator” to assist in sizing of the stormwater management practices for the Standard Plan. Please click here for more information and a copy of the Standard Plan.
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