One of the greatest threats to the quality of our drinking water and health of the Chesapeake Bay is stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff carries untreated debris, chemicals, sediment and other pollutants into our waterways.

In the final days of the Maryland legislative session, the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review approved language which makes it easier for localities to grant waivers for development projects from the environmentally protective standards of the Stormwater Management Act of 2007.

The language approval likely killed House Bill 1125, which if enacted threatened to legislatively enact the rollback.

Thanks to the hundreds of Clean Water Action members who opposed weakening the Stormwater Management Act. The good news is that counties, towns and cities aren't mandated to grant the waivers, so the battle to protect our bays, rivers and streams moves to the local level. Watch this space for the new campaign that will follow the legislative session.

Your voice was heard, and legislators know that there is a lot of concern throughout the state to protect downstream waters, to stop wasting water, and to stop de-watering our communities, all of which are potentially addressed through stronger stormwater standards.