As previously reported on Conduit Street, Governor O’Malley introduced his septics legislation (SB 236) last week. The bill stems from recommendations made last year by the Task Force on Sustainable Growth and Wastewater Disposal and prohibts major subdivisions on septic systems. Local governments that adopt a “4 tier system” in their comprehensive plans will have some additional flexibility. A major change in the bill is that the Maryland Department of the Environment will now approve residential subdivision plats.
The bill can be difficult to follow and MACo has prepared a 3-page summary highlighting the history of the bill, its contents, and why some Task Force recommendations were not included in the bill. Additionally, MACo has also prepared a chart showing the differences between this year’s bill and last year’s proposed legislation (HB 1107 / SB 846).
Hopefully you will find these resources useful in reviewing the proposed legislation. MACo will be debating the septics legislation in the coming weeks.
[...] of the bills, and a comparison of the 2012 introduction with that from 2011, is also available here. Share this:EmailPrintTwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this [...]
[...] MACo Summary of Septics Bill and 2011/2012 Comparisons Septics Bill Summary (released as bill was still in draft form) Maryland Farm Bureau position paper [...]
[...] As previously reported by Conduit Street, the legislation would prohibit the use of septic systems in “major subdivisions” (which could less than 4 lots in some counties) unless a county adopts a “4-tier system” of land classification in their comprehensive plans. The tiers are subject to approval by the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). MDE would also approve residential subdivisions. [...]