In an effort to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay, the federal and state government have mandated that storm water improvements be made in surrounding counties, including Stafford. The cost of these improvements will fall in the range of about $30 million dollars, according to Steve Hubble, the Assistant Director of Public Works for Stafford County.
“The County is regulated as part of the Clean Water Act for our storm water discharges, and we have a permit from the state government. It required us to do some routine activities over the last ten years, to build up our program. We also have specific goals to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, and that’s part of a mandate that came down from the federal, through the state government. That’s what the 15-year plan is tied to,” Hubble said.
Developed by the EPA in 2011, the mandate will require Stafford County to update facilities for water management. The County will also be working on stream water restoration projects and repairs to existing waterways.
“Mainly what we’re going to do is to retrofit existing storm water management facilities around the county,” Hubble said. Many of these facilities were built in the 80s and 90s.
The continuing storm water improvements will be a topic of discussion during the county budgeting process this year. In the last fiscal year, $275,000 was spent on initial improvements.
“It’s up to us how to pay for it, and at what pace we’ll implement the projects. It’s basically back loaded so the biggest part of the mandate has to be met in the last five years, but there may be some advantages to starting earlier,” Hubble commented.
“Our hope is while we’re doing these projects, to help improve water quality and the Chesapeake Bay, the added bonus of that is that it will also help improve our water quality and our local streams,” Hubble said of the benefits of the improvements to Stafford waterways.
