WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor Ch. 538

BY adding to

Article - Environment
Section 4-302.1 and 4-313.1
Annotated Code of Maryland
(1987 Replacement Volume)

Preamble

WHEREAS, In December 1981 a consensus was reached for
reversing declining water quality in the Patuxent River; and

WHEREAS, This consensus was reached between the State and
the 7 Patuxent River Counties to substantially reduce the flow of
phosphorus and nitrogen from sewage treatment plants to the
Patuxent River; and

WHEREAS, This nutrient control policy provided that all
facilities discharging over 500,000 gallons a day of wastewater
must remove phosphorus to 1.0 mg/1 of wastewater and plan for a
possible 0.3 mg/1 phosphorus limit; and

WHEREAS, After over 6 years, several of the 9 sewage
treatment plants served by this requirement are not meeting the
1.0 mg/1 standard; and

WHEREAS, The nutrient control policy also required that all
facilities must plan for nitrogen removal to the 3.0 mg/1 limits,
and that certain facilities must remove nitrogen to the 3.0 mg/1
limit under certain conditions; and

WHEREAS, Except for the Maryland House of Correction plant,
no plants are presently removing nitrogen on the Patuxent; and

WHEREAS, The living resources of the Patuxent have not been
restored due in part to the failure to meet these nutrient
removal standards; now, therefore,

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

Article - Environment

4-302.1.

(A) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS
SUBSECTION, FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, CONCENTRATIONS AND
WEIGHTS OF PHOSPHORUS AND NITROGEN SHALL BE CALCULATED ON A
MONTHLY AVERAGE BASIS.

- 3559 -