HOW CAN I CONTACT SOMEONE TO IMPROVE MY YARD, OFFICE, HOUSE OF WORSHIP, OR OTHER LAND NATURALLY TO STOP POLLUTED STORMWATER?

1) For additional information on how to retrofit your home, commercial property, school, or house of worship please contact an expert dedicated to this issue–Anne Guillette at the Low Impact Desgin Studio at www.lidstudio.com or email info@lidstudio.com. The LID studio can assist with assessments, planning, design, permitting, construction, and possibly get a grant to help fund your project.

2) Review the excellent RainScaping Campaign web site at: http://www.rainscaping.org/ for more details about what you can do and how to work on your rain gardens or landscaping for the Bay. Zora Lathan has done a great job in putting together this web site—use it to learn more.

3) View a nine-minute video, “Reduce Runoff—Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In,” which highlights green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs, and rain barrels that help manage stormwater runoff in a more sustainable manner. The film, produced by the U.S. EPA in partnership with the U.S. Botanic Gardens, showcases green techniques that are being used in urban areas to minimize the impacts of stormwater runoff on the quality of downstream receiving waters. Go to: http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/green/video.cfm#reduce

CAN I GET FINANCIAL HELP TO REDUCE POLLUTED STORMWATER RUNOFF?

Yes:

▪ Anne Arundel County Property Tax Credit

Anne Arundel County property owners who install rain barrels, rain gardens or other stormwater controls are eligible for a property-tax credit equal to 10 percent of the cost of the improvement, for five years. The deduction is capped at $10,000 over the five years. Homeowners will receive a 10 percent credit for each of the five years, for a 50 percent total. To download a form: http://www.rainscaping.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.showpage/pageID/34/index.htm

▪ Maryland’s $25 Tree Credit

Obtain a coupon at—www.trees.maryland.gov—worth $25 off the purchase of one tree with a retail value of $50 or more at all participating retail nurseries and garden centers. The discount is taken at the register at the time of the sale. One coupon must be filled in for each tree purchased.

▪State Grants for Stormwater Retrofits for Local Government and NGOs.

Local Implementation Grants are available for stormwater retrofit projects through the Maryland Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund. These grants are not made to individuals but to local governments and NGOs and fund many local stormwater retrofit projects. The grants can be in excess of $1 million. For more information, visit: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/ccp/funding/trust_fund.asp or email: Jennifer Raulin at: jraulin@dnr.state.md.us.