Governor Presses Septic Development Curb

O'Malley says ban on major new rural development would help bay, save farmland

Staking out one of his legislative priorities in this year's General Assembly, Gov. Martin O'Malley argued Monday that rural development using septic systems needs to be curtailed to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay and to preserve the state's remaining farmland from suburban sprawl.

O'Malley joined with environmental activists and green-leaning lawmakers to defend the bill he has introduced, which would ban any new major housing projects on septic. It also would require less-polluting but more costly septic systems on smaller housing developments or individual homes not affected by the ban.

The governor said he wanted to end a "proliferation" of new housing on septic systems, which allow up to 10 times as much water-fouling nitrogen to leach into streams per household as do homes hooked up to public sewage treatment plants. Though septics are responsible for just 8 percent of the nitrogen harming the Chesapeake Bay now, officials say that share could grow by a third if unchecked.
READ MORE