Stormwater Management

Stormwater management has evolved from efforts to quickly drain the runoff from rainfall from streets and other elements of the built environment, which helps prevent flooding, to complex programs that also reduce the pollutants carried by stormwater runoff. These efforts employ a variety of practices that range from constructed ponds to rainfall “gardens” that infiltrate runoff before it reaches the storm drain network.

There are stormwater management programs in each of COG’s member jurisdictions. These programs must meet federal requirements under the Clean Water Act, plus additional state regulatory requirements. The members meet these requirements primarily through compliance with municipal separate storm sewer system permits, known as MS4s.

COG staff assists members in meeting their stormwater management requirements through workshops, peer exchanges, and other ways of sharing information across the region. In Maryland, COG staff coordinates, in conjunction with the Maryland Association of Counties, a dialogue between a statewide group of local governments with (MS4 permits and the Maryland Department of the Environment on regulatory issues. Because the cost of their stormwater management programs is increasing rapidly in response to new regulatory requirements, COG staff is also working with its members to save money on stormwater procurement.