Bay Restoration Fund - Authorized Uses - Connection to Existing Municipal Wastewater Facility
Summary
HB24 would expand the authorized uses of a portion of the Bay Restoration Fund to help pay for connecting properties that currently use on-site sewage disposal systems, such as septic systems, to existing municipal wastewater facilities. Under current law, the fund already supports upgrades to septic systems, repairs and replacements of failing systems, community sewerage systems, low-income maintenance assistance, and related administrative costs. This bill adds a new eligible use for connection costs when a property can be tied into an existing municipal wastewater facility that provides enhanced nutrient removal or biological nutrient removal treatment.
The bill also creates a second, broader connection-cost category for properties in low-income areas. For those projects, the wastewater facility does not have to meet a specific nutrient-removal standard, but the project must satisfy additional conditions, including that the property is adjacent to an existing sewer main and that the household income is up to $300,000 per year. The bill preserves the ability to use Bay Restoration Fund money to pay the principal, but not interest, on local government debt issued for these connection projects. It also requires annual reporting to the legislature on projects funded under this new authority and on any effect those projects have on funding available for other septic upgrades.
Impact
HB24 would amend Environment Article § 9-1605.2(h), which governs how the Bay Restoration Fund’s septic-system account may be spent. The practical effect is to broaden state-authorized environmental funding from primarily on-site system upgrades and replacements to include sewer connection projects, especially in low-income areas and in cases where connection is more cost-effective or necessary. It would also require the Department of the Environment to track and report on these projects and their impact on the fund’s existing priorities. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025, if enacted.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the available materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears aimed at expanding wastewater access and reducing nutrient pollution, which suggests an environmental and public-health rationale. The inclusion of a low-income-area provision indicates an equity-focused component, but the broad income cap and the diversion of Bay Restoration Fund dollars to sewer connections could also draw scrutiny from stakeholders concerned about fund priorities.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are how broadly Bay Restoration Fund money should be used and which projects should receive priority. Supporters are likely to favor the bill’s ability to help homeowners connect to municipal sewer service, especially in low-income areas and where connection is cheaper or more feasible than septic upgrades. Opponents or skeptics may question the high household-income threshold for the low-income-area provision, whether sewer connections should be funded when the receiving facility is not yet at enhanced nutrient removal standards, and whether these projects could reduce money available for traditional septic-system upgrades and repairs. Local governments and environmental agencies may also focus on the added reporting and eligibility conditions.