Stormwater Facility Programs

Urban Stormwater runoff is rainwater that goes into stormdrains
and then directly into county streams and rivers. The force of the runoff and pollutants carried in it can adversely affect the receiving streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.

The Stormwater Facility Maintenance Program is responsible for inspecting and ensuring maintenance for all public and private stormwater management facilities within Montgomery County. These 4,000 facilities comprised of wet ponds, dry ponds, sand filters, infiltration trenches, oil grit separators and underground storage structures are vital components to protecting our streams and our safety. Inspection and maintenance of this valuable infrastructure is imperative to keep them functioning so they continue to remove pollution, recharge groundwater, protect stream banks and keep roads from flooding. The Water Quality Protection Charge provides the funding to maintain these structures as assets to our parks, schools, businesses and neighborhoods.

If you live in a neighborhood built after 1968, or even possibly before, and no one in your homeowners association has ever discussed how best to manage the community stormwater pond, or whether the muck should be cleaned out of that curious roadside ditch, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise. Click on Stormwater Alert to find out more.

Maintenance of Stormwater Management Facilities

Click for a list of Aboveground Stormwater Management Maintenance Contractors and Belowground Stormwater Management Maintenance Contractors who have the required Certificate of Attendance from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Stormwater Facility Maintenance Contractor Training.

Click here for Non-Structural Maintenance Requirements.

Click here for “Designation of Authorized On-Site Representative” form.

Commercial Stormwater Facility Maintenance [932k PDF]
A downloadable pdf guide to oil/grit separators, underground storage structures, and other facilities.   

A company interested in obtaining certification of attendance for stormwater facility maintenance must attend the approved DEP training program or pass the Interim Certification Test and attend the training within one year.

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A company who performs repair or maintenance on a stormwater management facility must have demonstrated experience in stormwater management facility construction and inspection and hold a certificate of attendance awarded through a training program approved by the Department of Environmental Protection.  A company who performs repair or maintenance on an underground stormwater facility must have the training and credentials required under applicable state and federal law. DEP holds an approved training program every spring.  A company interested in obtaining certification of attendance for stormwater facility maintenance must attend the approved DEP training program or pass the Interim Certification Test and attend the training within one year.

Check back here to find out the next scheduled training.

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Interim Certification Test

The successful completion of this test (minimum score of 70%) will allow your company to maintain and repair stormwater management facilities in Montgomery County, Maryland. In maintained your certification of attendance, it is necessary for supervisory representatives of your company to attend the next annual Stormwater Facility Maintenance Contractor Training class.

Interim Certification Test

Certification Presentation & Training Materials for the Test

• Introduction
• Aboveground Stormwater Facility Maintenance
• LID Maintenance
• Underground Stormwater Facility Maintenance
• General Information

The Water Quality Protection Charge (WQPC), which appears as a line item on your tax bill was implemented to pay for the Stormwater Management Program. The program conducts structural maintenance of residential and associated non-residential stormwater facilities and is responsible for water quality improvements in the county. The law authorizing the charge was passed by the County Council and signed by the County Executive after many years of hard work by citizens, County Council Staff, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), as well as other County agencies.

The WQPC is based on the amount of impervious surface of the property and computed as equivalent residential units (ERUs). The WQPC charge for Levy Year 2009 is $45.50 per ERU. The WQPC is assessed to all residential properties and certain non-residential properties. The Charge Classification table below shows the charge assessed to each type of property.

Charge Classification	Charge Amount
Apartments and condominiums (Multi-family Residential)	Charge based on amount of impervious* surface
Associated Non-residential (Any property that is not a residential property, including commercial, retail, common areas of homeowner associations, churches, etc.)	Charge based on amount of impervious* surface within a residential drainage area
Single Family Detached Home	$45.50**
Single Family Attached Home (Townhomes)	$15.02**

*Impervious surfaces include roofs, driveways, parking lots, and streets. Impervious surfaces prevent precipitation from soaking into the ground, This excess water carries pollutants into streams and rivers.

** Single family home owners and townhome owners are not eligible for the refund because they are assessed a flat fee, that is not based on the calculation of impervious surface.

Helpful factsheet explaining the Water Quality Protection Charge [140k PDF]
A downloadable Frequently Asked Questions guide to the Water Quality Protection Charge

Water Quality Protection Charge Public Meetings

• August 24, 2009 at 7pm: The first of two public meetings was held on Monday at 7pm. You can download the flyer and PowerPoint presentation from the meeting. 

• To Be Announced: The second public meeting is tentatively scheduled for the beginning of 2010. More information will be provided at a later date.

 Water Quality Protection Charge Adjustment for Levy Year 2008

Last year DEP updated impervious surface area calculations for the majority of the county and sent bills to apartments, condominium owners, home owner associations and commercial businesses based on the updated impervious surface. Because DEP did not finish updating the calculations of impervious area for the entire county, and to reduce the extent of the WQPC increase, the County Executive has announced that some homeowner associations, apartment building owners, condominium owners, and commercial property owners will receive a one-time reduction in the Water Quality Protection Charge, which was included in the tax bill they received in July 2008.  Click here to see if your account qualifies for an adjustment.

 Water Quality Protection Charge Appeals
 
If a property owner believes that the Water Quality Protection Charge (the “Charge”) has been assigned or calculated incorrectly, the property owner may petition the Director of DEP for an adjustment by submitting a written request using the Appeal Form to the Department of Environmental Protection.  The appeal must be submitted within 21 days after the property owner receives a bill for the Charge. The property owner must include a detailed statement of the basis for the petition and provide documents supporting the property owner’s assertion that the property should be assigned a different classification, the impervious area measurements used to calculate the equivalent residential units for the property are incorrect, or the property is not subject the Water Quality Protection Charge under the applicable law. [Click here for the Appeal Form]
 
Within 60 days after receiving the petition, the Director will review the Charge assigned to the property and make a written determination of whether the property owner’s request for an adjustment of the Charge should be granted or denied.  For more information about this process, please contact the Water Quality Protection Charge Hotline at 240-777-7763 or email us at askdep@montgomerycountymd.gov.

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