Maryland's Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Programs

What is Nonpoint Source Pollution?

Nonpoint source  pollution (NPS), unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. This type of pollution is called nonpoint source pollution because it does not come from a single outlet, waste pipe, or "point" source.  NPS  is caused when rainfall or snowmelt, moving over and through the ground,  picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water. These pollutants  potentially include:

• Fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas;

• Oil, grease, and  chemicals from urban runoff.

• Sediment from construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding streambanks;

• Acid drainage from abandoned mines;

• Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and  septic systems;

• Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification are also sources of nonpoint source pollution.

Maryland's Strategy For Reducing
Nonpoint Source Pollution

Because Maryland's nonpoint source pollution problems are as diverse as its landscape, the state has developed a variety of nonpoint source pollution programs aimed at combating these varied pollution sources.

Maryland's strategy is two-fold, first the revised NPS management plan outlines various ongoing NPS control initiatives, and second, Maryland is engaged in a number of special watershed initiatives aimed at water quality improvement.

1.  Management Plan/Initiatives

The  revised NPS management plan (March 2000) describes the nonpoint source program and initiatives aimed at controlling nonpoint source pollution from six broad categories (see management plan for details).

     Agricultural Initiatives

On the farm, eroded soil, fertilizers, and animal wastes washing off the land can have a profound effect on water quality downstream. The major agricultural nonpoint source pollutants that could potentially result from agricultural activities are sediments, nutrients, pathogens, pesticides.

Agriculture Programs

Good water quality is the most critical element in the overall restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay, the Coastal Bays and their tributaries.  Maryland has a variety of agricultural programs described below that contribute to the overall reduction of nonpoint source pollution from agricultural sources.

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

CREP provides annual rental payments for 10 -15 years and cost share for installing BMPS to conserve sensitive resource areas. During calendar year 2001, Maryland farmers enrolled a total of 14,695 acres in CREP.  Included in this total are 5,658 acres of riparian vegetated buffers, 5,666 acres of riparian forested buffers, 765 acres of wetland restoration, and 2,562 acres of highly erodible land conservation.

Nutrient Management /Water Quality Improvement Act (WQIA)

In 1998, the Maryland General Assembly passed landmark legislation that places Maryland at the forefront of national efforts to protect water quality. The Water Quality Improvement Act (WQIA) established both short and long-term strategies for reducing nutrient levels in our streams, rivers and Chesapeake Bay.  The most significant feature of the Act is a provision requiring nutrient management plans for virtually all Maryland farms.

Manure Transport Program

The Manure Transport Pilot Project provides support to animal producers who have excess manure and need alternative means of managing it in order to be in compliance with the Water Quality Improvement Act.

Maryland Agricultural Cost Share Program (MACS)

State and federal funds are used to provide grants to Maryland farmers for the installation of best management practices (BMPs) to alleviate existing or potential critical water pollution conditions associated with farming activity.  

Soil Conservation and Water Quality Program

Statewide, 59% of agricultural land is managed under a current SCWQ plan. In 2001 alone, The Soil Conservation and Water Quality (SCWQ) Program enabled the development of 1,300 SCWQ plans for 101,000 acres with an associated 6,200 BMPs installed.

Public Drainage Program

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) regulates agricultural public drainage facilities administered as Public Drainage Associations (PDAs).  PDAs are independent political subdivisions and cover over 850 miles of drainage ditches in the coastal zone, mostly on the Eastern Shore. The PDAs are required to develop operation and maintenance plans which address sediment control and water quality protection. 

Sources of NPS pollution associated with forestry activities include removal of streamside vegetation, timber harvesting, mechanical preparation for the planting of trees, road construction and use. Harvesting trees in the area beside a stream can affect water quality by increasing sediment loads from runoff,  reducing the streambank shading that regulates water temperature and by removing vegetation that stabilizes the streambanks. These physical  changes can harm aquatic life by limiting sources of food, shade, and shelter. Forest health is inextricably linked to healthy streams and robust Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bays watersheds.  

Riparian Forest Buffer/Stream ReLeaf Initiative

In October 1994, the Chesapeake Executive Council adopted a directive  to develop a policy which would enhance riparian stewardship and efforts to conserve and to restore riparian forest buffers. 

The following goals were adopted for this initiative 1) to assure, to the extent feasible, that all streams and shorelines will be protected by a forested or other riparian buffer; 2) to conserve existing forests along all streams and shorelines; and 3) to increase the use of all riparian buffers and restore riparian forests, targeting efforts where they will be of greatest value to water quality and living resources.

In 2001, Marylanders created over 264 miles of forest buffers along waterways under the leadership of DNR, a rate over twice the annual goal.  Currently, the total accomplishment is 595.7 miles.  This accomplishment brings us very close to the Governor’s goal of 600 miles by 2010, and is a bulwark of our efforts to reduce nutrient pollution and restore habitat in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Special Rivers Initiative

The Special Rivers Project consists of critical technical and outreach support for watershed improvement through forest restoration and management.  Each of the four regional projects: the Anacostia River, Monocacy River, Susquehanna River, and Town Creek -- remain focused on buffer creation and preparation of site-specific forest stewardship plans.

Forest Conservation Act

The Forest Conservation Act provides guidelines for the amount of forest land retained or planted after the completion of development projects. These guidelines vary for each development site and are based on land-use categories. These categories include agricultural and resource, medium-density residential, institutional development, high-density residential, mixed use, planned-units development, and commercial and industrial use areas.

Urbanization increases the variety and amount of pollutants transported to receiving waters.  Sediment from development and new construction; oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from automobiles; nutrients and pesticides from turf management and gardening; viruses and bacteria from failing septic systems; road salts; and heavy metals are examples of pollutants generated in urban areas. Sediments and solids constitute the largest volume of pollutant loads to receiving waters in urban areas.

Urban Development Programs

These management initiatives are intended to control runoff and treat associated pollutants generated from new development, redevelopment, and new and relocated roads, highways and bridges. In Maryland, this measure is met through the State’s Stormwater Management (SWM) program, which addresses proposed disturbances over 5,000 square feet, including residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional development, as well as new and relocated roads and bridges.

Stormwater Management -- Phase II Program

Final 1999 Stormwater Phase II regulations expand the existing NPDES Stormwater Management (SWM) program to address stormwater discharges from municipal storm sewers and construction activity.   The new SWM program incorporates the Phase II requirements, detailed in the publication known as the 2000 Maryland Stormwater Design Manual.

Low Impact Development (LID)

Bioretention, green roofs, raingardens, reductions in impervious surface area, disconnections of roof runoff, and directing sheet flow to vegetated buffers are some of the main components of the voluntary Low Impact Development (LID) approach for managing stormwater runoff.

Sediment and Erosion Control Program

The Maryland Sediment and Erosion Control Program is operated at the local level where local governments have shown the ability to enforce the provisions of their ordinances relating to soil erosion and sediment control.   In other cases, the state has retained enforcement responsibilities.  Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) conducts periodic reviews of local programs to ensure that implementation is acceptable and it has the authority to suspend delegation and take over any program that does not meet state standards.

Onsite Sewage Disposal Systems (OSDS)

The Maryland Department of the Environment, Ground Water Permits Division is responsible for the development of regulations pertaining to the citing, construction, and general permitting of septic systems or onsite sewage disposal systems. Authority for permitting, tracking and monitoring OSDS is delegated to county health departments.  DNR has issued two recent requests for proposals to fund coastal counties to develop inventories and data management systems for OSDS and  delineate nitrogen sensitive waters and develop OSDS management plans.

Smart Growth Initiatives

The Smart Growth Initiative addresses nonpoint source pollution by protecting rural landscapes, agricultural lands, forests, and other natural areas, encouraging development in areas with existing infrastructure, and by promoting the principals of  Maryland’s  ‘GreenPrint’ and ‘Green Building’ programs.  

Hydromodification/Channelization

In Maryland there is a network of over 14,000 miles of streams and rivers.  Human activities, such as channelization, dams, diversions, and floodplain development can disrupt the natural hydrologic regime of the system resulting in a widespread deterioration of environmental quality.  

Current management approaches focus on the modification of watershed hydrology to replicate (to the degree possible) the hydrology in undisturbed forested watersheds. Maryland is working to curtail or reverse damages from hydromodification through a variety of programs and projects including the shore erosion control and fish passage programs.   

Shore Erosion Control Initiative

Maryland’s Shore Erosion Control Program was established in 1968 within DNR for the purpose of addressing shoreline and streambank erosion problems along the Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bays and their tributaries.  The Program provides assistance to Maryland property owners in resolving shoreline and streambank erosion problems. Since 1968, Shore Erosion Control has assisted numerous property owners and established more than 800 structural projects and 325 non-structural projects. Property owners in Maryland can request technical assistance and financial assistance from the Shore Erosion Control Program.

Fish Passage Initiative

Maryland's Fish Passage Program, administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), began in 1988. One of the  priorities is to re-open habitat and remove blockages on streams to allow fish to return to traditional spawning grounds. Since its inception, the program has completed 53 projects, and re-opening 292 miles of spawning habitat.

     Marinas and Recreational Boating Initiative

Individual boats and marinas usually release only small amounts of pollutants. Yet, when multiplied by thousands of boaters and marinas, they can cause distinct water quality problems in lakes, rivers, and coastal waters. Potential environmental impacts from boating and marinas are: high toxicity in the water; increased pollutant concentrations in aquatic organisms and sediments; increased erosion rates; increased nutrients, leading to an increase in algae and a decrease in oxygen (eutrophication); and high levels of pathogens. In addition, construction at marinas can lead to the physical destruction of sensitive ecosystems and bottom-dwelling aquatic communities.

Water pollution from boating and marinas is linked to several sources. They include poorly flushed waterways, boat maintenance, discharge of sewage from boats, storm water runoff from marina parking lots, and the physical alteration of shoreline, wetlands, and aquatic habitat during the construction and operation of marinas.

Maryland established the Clean Marina Initiative to promote understanding and adoption of pollution prevention measures associated with the impacts of pleasure boats on water quality.   The program goal is to certify 25 percent of the State's 600 boating facilities as Clean  Marinas by 2004. Clean  Marinas by 2004.

A variety of wetlands exist in Maryland, however two basic types of wetlands are commonly recognized: nontidal wetlands and tidal wetlands. Wetlands serve to filter and remove many pollutants. Wetlands can intercept runoff and transform and store NPS pollutants like sediment, nutrients, and certain heavy metals without being degraded. In addition, wetlands vegetation can keep stream channels intact by slowing runoff and by evenly distributing the energy in runoff. 

Improper development or excessive pollutant loads such as sediments can damage wetlands. The degraded wetlands can no longer provide water quality benefits and become significant sources of NPS pollution. Excessive amounts of decaying wetlands vegetation, for example, can increase biochemical oxygen demand, making habitat unsuitable for fish and other aquatic life. Degraded wetlands also release stored nutrients and other chemicals into surface water and ground water.

Measures to both restore and protect wetlands are an important component of nonpoint source pollution control. During 2001, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) created a draft State Wetlands Conservation Plan whose mission is to identify and resolve gaps in current wetlands management for statewide conservation and preservation of wetland ecosystems and their functions through consistent federal, state, public, and private participation, while recognizing competing resource needs.

2. Watershed Initiatives

Maryland has several interrelated watershed initiatives: a) WRAS Partnership Program, b) The 2000 Chesapeake Bay Agreement's Watershed Planning Commitment, and c) Coastal Bays Comprehensive Coastal Management Plan.  

Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) Partnership Program

A completed WRAS  is a watershed restoration or protection work plan, prepared by a local government with public input. It is based on an assessment of natural resources and it identifies priority restoration and protection areas. It details monitoring programs and the responsible parties needed to address the restoration or protection goals outlined.

WRAS utilize assesment services of DNR and the state Departments of Environment, Planning and Agriculture to provide technical assistance and funding, with the participation of other partners such as the Soil Conservation District,  watershed associations or other citizen groups. 

Chesapeake Bay 2000 Watershed Commitment Implementation and Tracking

Watershed management planning is also addressed in the multi-state Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement. One commitment, in particular, states:

By 2010, work with local governments, community groups and watershed organizations to develop and implement locally supported watershed management plans in two-thirds of the Bay watershed covered by this Agreement. These plans would address the protection, conservation and restoration of stream corridors, riparian forest buffers and wetlands for the purposes of improving habitat and water quality, with collateral benefits for optimizing stream flow and water supply.  

Within the Chesapeake Bay’s drainage, Maryland has 127 watersheds (Maryland’s 8-digit watersheds).  Maryland has committed to develop and implement, by 2010, 2/3 of 127 or approximately 85 (8-digit) watershed management plans (WMPs) or strategies covering the Bay watershed.

Coastal Bays Comprehensive Coastal Management Plan

Outside the boundaries of the Chesapeake Bay drainage area in Maryland i.e. in the Coastal Bays watersheds-- watershed planning efforts are outlined in the Coastal Bays Comprehensive Coastal Management Plan.

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Last Updated: 06/15/02