A June 27 Gazette.net article reports that estimates of Frederick County’s cost for reducing stormwater runoff under Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load requirements has been lowered to $1.5 billion.  While the number is lower than the County’s original estimate of $2.3 billion, it is still higher than the $200 million originally estimated by the State.

Frederick County might be on the hook for $1.5 billion for its share in reducing stormwater pollutants as part of the state’s plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

That number is well above the $200 million the state estimated it would cost, but under the $2.3 billion the county initially projected. The new estimate is based on numbers and scenarios from the Maryland Department of the Environment, said Shannon Moore, the county’s manager of sustainability and environmental resources.  …

Moore and staff recalculated the cost to the county using best management practices developed for the county by MDE, cost estimates prepared by MDE analyst Dennis King, and a scenario assessment developed by MDE. The $1.5 billion cost includes all stormwater retrofits within Frederick County, including municipal, state, federal, county-owned and unregulated urban land.

The article explains that counties must submit their Phase II Watershed Implementation Plans by July 2.  In the article, Frederick County indicates that it planned to submit something by the due date.  However, the article notes that several counties, including Carroll and Worcester, may not meet the July 2 deadline.