St. Marys County Doubts 'Bay Diet' Plans

Commissioners reject bay health plan, Paperwork being submitted, but without support

St. Mary’s County government is reluctantly submitting its plan to meet federal goals to reduce the amount of nitrogen and sediment flowing into the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

While local plans are due to the Maryland Department of the Environment by the end of June, the St. Mary’s County commissioners made it clear they don’t have the money to meet intended goals and do not completely believe in the science driving the goals.

“This is not a tenable plan for any of the counties to consider,” said Commission President Jack Russell (D) on Tuesday. “We’re in a no-win situation. We can’t pay for it,” he said.
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As part of the county’s Watershed Implementation Plan, St. Mary’s County government staff wrote, “The funds necessary to address septic sector loads does not exist.” By 2030, St. Mary’s is expected to reduce its nitrogen load from septic systems by 85,882 pounds a year, either by connecting the systems to sewage treatment plants or by upgrading the septic systems.

“The least expensive combination is well over $176 million,” staff wrote, “and the costs to individual sewer service customers and to individual [septic] owners is unaffordable, will be politically difficult to fund through cost sharing among all [septic] owners and beyond the ability of the county to fund without significant funding assistance from state or federal sources.”

The projected costs of the 'Bay Diet' have come as a shock to local governments all over the Maryland and the whole Bay drainage area.  Most want to help the Bay, but can't imagine being able to raise the kind of funds that are being proposed, and maintain the kind of services their constituents have become accustomed to getting for their tax money.  And that's basically true; tax levels will have to increase to pay for the Bay Diet plan, or services will need to be trimmed, probably both.  And people won't be happy