SALISBURY, Md. – The City of Salisbury will step up enforcement of stormwater maintenance requirements in response to declining upkeep of privately owned stormwater systems, city officials announced.
Under state and federal regulations, the city is required to inspect stormwater facilities to ensure they are operating properly and maintained according to approved plans. City officials say inspections in recent years have revealed a growing number of privately owned systems that are not being properly maintained.
Poor maintenance can cause clogged inlets, swales and retention ponds to malfunction, increasing the risk of flooding, property damage and environmental pollution, officials said.
To address the issue, the city will begin issuing notices of violation to property owners whose stormwater facilities are found to be out of compliance. The notices will identify deficiencies and outline required corrective actions. Initial enforcement will focus on warnings, but uncorrected violations could result in fines beginning in the new year, officials said. In some cases, fines could be issued as early as this year if property owners are unresponsive or unwilling to work with the city.
“Protecting our environment from unnecessary pollution is one of the critical tasks of our local government,” Mayor Randy Taylor said in a statement. “Through increased enforcement of existing rules and agreements, stormwater-related problems will be mitigated to the maximum extent possible, and both the public and the river will be protected.”
City staff said they plan to work closely with property owners who receive notices to help them understand the violations and develop plans to bring their systems into compliance.
Officials emphasized that enforcement efforts are not intended to target specific groups, but acknowledged that owners of larger properties -- such as farms or apartment complexes -- may be inspected more frequently than typical homeowners, depending on stormwater runoff conditions.