Urban Information for St. Mary's Soil Conservation District

Stormwater Management

The Maryland Department of the Environment’s Dam Safety Program has the responsibility of
ensuring that all dams are designed, constructed, and maintained safely to prevent failures or the consequence of failure. Dams that meet certain criteria can be reviewed by the local soil conservation district and issued small pond approval. These ponds at a minimum must not exceed hazard class “a”, the embankment must not be greater than (20) twenty feet (as measured from the top of the dam to the upstream toe of dam) and the drainage area is less than one square mile (640 acres).

Ponds submitted for small pond approval must be prepared according to the St. Mary’s SCD small pond approval guidelines(pdf) and the Maryland Standards and Specifications for Ponds (MD378)(pdf). Additional information may be found in the Maryland Stormwater Design Manual.

Pond Summary Sheet(MD-ENG-14/NRCS-MD-378)
Small Pond Permit Application for St. Mary's County
Operation & Maintenance Guidelines for Ponds

back to top

Forest Harvest

Forest Harvest projects that will disturb greater than 5,000 square feet are required to obtain erosion and sediment control plan approval. A Standard Erosion and Sediment Control Plan for Forest Harvest Operations must be prepared by a Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forester or a private licensed forester(pdf) and submitted to the District for review and approval. At a minimum, the standard plan must include an application, site map, soils map, topographical map, vicinity map, and be prepared following the guidelines contained in the MDE Revised Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control on Forest Harvest Operations (Draft).

Forest Harvest Operations – Sediment Control Plan Application

back to top

Pre-Construction Meeting

    All recipients of approved engineered erosion and sediment control plans are required to schedule and hold a pre-construction meeting with St. Mary’s SCD prior to any land clearing or grading activities.

    The appropriate project representative must contact the District at least five day prior to when they wish to hold the pre-construction meeting, and pay the required fees before the scheduled meeting.

    On August 3, 2006 the District unanimously approved signing the Memorandum of Understanding(pdf) with the Department of the Environment (MDE) to function as a contractor for MDE to perform this activity. Effective October 1, 2006, the District started scheduling pre-construction meetings as MDE’s representative.

    For further information or to schedule a pre-construction meeting contact Haley Carter.

Pre-Construction Meeting Fee Schedule
Engineered Single Family Dwelling Plan
Less than 1 acre disturbance	-0-(In Office/Phone)
Engineered Plan (all other plans excluding Engineered SFD Plans < 1 ac)
5,000 ft² to 4.99 ac disturbance	$250.00
5 ac to 9.99 ac disturbance	$500.00
10 ac disturbance	$1000.00

back to top

Fee Schedules

Exemptions - No Fee
Forest Harvest Plans - No Fee
Standard Plans - $35.00 Application Fee
Engineered Plans (Calculations are based on Disturbed Area)
     $100.00 Application Fee
   Review Fees - $150.00 per acre (for acres 0-10 with a minimum 1 acre fee)
                        - $75.00 per acre (for acres 10.1 and up + $1500 for first 10 acres)
    $200.00 Re-approval Fee (for expiring plans and reapprovals not mandated by other agencies)
    $500.00 Re-review fee (after initial review +2 )

Examples:
5.3 Dist. Area - $795.00 review fee (5.3 x $150) + $100.00 Application Fee = $895.00
12.2 Dist. Area - $1665.00 review fee (10 x $150 + 2.2 x $75) + $100.00 Application Fee = $1765.00

back to top

Sediment Control

To Check Plan Status
Call 301-475-8402 ext 3.
Email Jane Sanders OR Haley Carter

MDE Inspections Phone
410-537-3510

back to top

Green Card Classes

                    **Special Notice Regarding Upcoming Green Card Classes**
    The 1994 Standards and Specifications for Erosion and Sediment Control will soon be replaced by the 2010 Standards and Specifications scheduled for adoption May 30, 2010. The 2010 Standards are available in draft form and there is still an opportunity to provide comment to MDE.
    A requirement of the new 2010 Standards and Specifications will be the phased in re-certification of all "Green Card" holders. Because of this, the District will not schedule a new certification class until the training program has been revised to include all pertinent information from the 2010 Standards. Hopefully this will occur sometime late spring or early summer.
    Because of the magnitude of having to recertify all existing "Green Card" holders, as well as any new individuals, the District anticipates scheduling one training per month or more if needed to meet the demand. We have a current interest file and will be happy to add you to the list for notification of our next available class. To get on the interest list please call or e-mail Haley Carter.

Responsible Personnel Training for Erosion and Sediment Control (aka "Green Card Class)

Upcoming Classes - None in St. Mary's at this time

Contact Rick Trickett at MDE (410-537-3552) for classes being offered in other counties.