Document Type
Article
Abstract
A highly contributing factor to impairment of water quality is stormwater that flows across the urban landscape, picking up pollutants along the way, which is directed by a system of stormwater infrastructure to be deposited in the nearest water body. Though state regulations to manage stormwater are in place, there is a need to strengthen and expand them to address chloride impairment. Chloride impairment stems from the use of road salt during the winter season and is a serious concern for current and future urban streams. The only cost-effective method to address this impairment is reducing the amount that is used. Such a reduction must come from public and private property owners alike. This can be achieved through permitting via the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, which Maine is authorized to implement, or through the state-wide stormwater regulations that apply when property is developed. Not doing so means the quality of Maine’s water will continue to further degrade, an unacceptable option in the face of the Clean Water Act and the health of the public and our environment.
First Page
95
Recommended Citation
Heather R. Kenyon,
Managing Chloride Impairment by Expanding and Strengthening Stormwater Regulation in Maine,
28
Ocean & Coastal L.J.
95
(2023).
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.mainelaw.maine.edu/oclj/vol28/iss1/5
