November 30, 2004 (Annapolis) The Maryland Department of the Environment this month reissued Anne Arundel County’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Municipal Stormwater (NPDES MS4) Permit. The County’s new permit became effective on November 8, 2004. Issuance of the permit followed a successful collaborative negotiating process between Anne Arundel County’s Department of Public Works and Office of Environmental & Cultural Resources and the Maryland Department of the Environment. Modeled after Anne Arundel County’s first NPDES MS4 Permit, the new permit sets forth conditions that ensure that Anne Arundel County’s management of stormwater meets State criteria for protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Watershed management planning and watershed restoration are major components of the permit and build upon the efforts Anne Arundel County has already taken to integrate science and resource management in order to make sound land use decisions supported by current up-to-date information and data. In his letter to County Executive Janet S. Owens, Robert M. Summers, Director, Water Management Administration states, “Over the past several years, your staff has worked diligently to meet the goals of these regulations. We feel that this permit will serve to solidify our current relationship and give us continued direction toward improving Maryland’s water quality. I would like to thank you and your staff for their outstanding efforts to date.” “The permit is comprehensive and requires a significant commitment by the County to ensure successful implementation,” stated County Executive Owens this week. “I thank the state for recognizing our efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay.” The County’s Land Use agencies are dedicated and committed to protecting our environment and the Chesapeake Bay through the enforcement of sediment and erosion control regulations; retrofitting older communities built prior to stormwater management; and by planning for our future by using watershed modeling to ensure that we make the best possible land use decisions. For further information, the public may call the County’s Office of Environmental & Cultural Resources at 410-222-7441. | 
