Roles of the Agencies. This section describes the activity of the agencies in a particular area. Usually, the basis for agency involvement is statutory and regulatory. However, it may also reflect the unique resources of one or more agencies such as staff expertise, equipment, or a highly specialized program.
Roles of the Agencies. Local Environmental Health Authorities
Roles of the Agencies. Department of the Environment
Roles of the Agencies. Department of the Environment
a. The Secretary of MDE has been appointed by the Governor to serve as a member of the Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission. The Commission is the governing body for the Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact, an interstate agreement entered into by Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia in 1986. The Compact provides necessary authority for development of a regional low-level radioactive waste disposal facility.
Roles of the Agencies. Department of the Environment
a. Implements and enforces standards for public drinking water systems in Maryland.
b. Issues construction permits for community and non-transient community water supply systems.
c. Approves well sites for community and non-transient non-community water systems. Under certain emergency circumstances, MDE may verbally give the Local Environmental Health Authority approval to sign the well construction permit.
d. Issues certificates of potability for community and non-transient non-community water system xxxxx.
e. Implements the Certification of Drinking Water Quality Laboratories.
f. Oversees permitting for non-public well construction delegated to local approving authorities.
g. Assists local jurisdictions in development of source water and watershed protection programs.
h. Assists local jurisdictions with the issuance of boil water advisory and public notifications.
i. Manages State water resources through permitting of water withdrawals from ground and surface water sources including rivers, lakes, and springs. All public water systems are required to obtain a water appropriation permit; this is required for issuing well construction permits for public water systems. Certain non-community water systems that use less than 5,000 gallons per day may file for an exemption.
j. Oversees delegated program for oversight of transient non-community water systems.
k. Reviews and approves county water and sewerage plans.
l. Provides review and technical assistance for local jurisdictions developing Water Resources Elements of their Comprehensive Plans.
m. Requires water systems and local jurisdictions to track their capacity; when a certain threshold is reached, requires local jurisdictions to cease issuance of building permits.
Roles of the Agencies. Department of the Environment Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Local Environmental Health Authorities
Roles of the Agencies. Department of the Environment
a. Issues construction permits and individual groundwater discharge permits for on-site sewage disposal systems with a design flow greater than 10,000 gallons per day (gpd); the Department may require an applicant for a system with a maximum daily flow of less than 10,000 gpd to obtain an Individual Groundwater Discharge Permit if specific project characteristics warrant additional monitoring or control or special permit requirements.
b. Oversees delegated onsite sewage disposal programs.
c. Administers the Bay Restoration Fund (BRF) on a State scale, distributing funds to local jurisdictions to administer at a County scale for upgrading or installing onsite sewage disposal systems for eligible properties.
d. Evaluates technologies to be considered best available technologies (BAT) for removing nitrogen from onsite sewage disposal systems.
e. Issues and enforces permits for industrial and municipal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) surface water discharges.
f. Issues and enforces permits for groundwater discharges.
g. Performs compliance inspections for NPDES and Groundwater Discharge permits that may include sampling.
h. Reviews and approves county water and sewerage plans.
i. Provides review and technical assistance for local jurisdictions developing Water Resources Elements of their Comprehensive Plans.
j. Maintains a database for BAT installations and BAT operation and maintenance.
Roles of the Agencies. Department of the Environment
a. Oversees and delegates statewide program for monitoring and notification of bathing beaches.
b. Responds to fish kills and harmful algal blooms by investigating water resources and taking corrective actions as necessary to protect the public and natural resources.
Roles of the Agencies. Department of the Environment
a. Monitors bacteriological water quality of shellfish growing waters and shellstock.
b. Conducts shoreline surveys in areas adjacent to shellfish harvesting areas to determine pollution sources affecting those areas.
c. Performs comprehensive sanitary survey reports for each shellfish growing area. Reviews and evaluates bacteriological data and sanitary survey information to certify that harvesting areas conform to the standards of the NSSP.
d. Continually assesses all harvesting areas to ensure they are correctly classified. All areas that may pose a risk are legally closed to harvesting.
e. Implements emergency closures when necessary.
f. Monitors Maryland’s coastal bays collecting samples for identification and enumeration of algal species as part of a contingency plan for potentially harmful algae required under the NSSP.
g. Notifies DNR, DHMH, Industry, and the public when any harvesting area is reclassified.
h. Determines if growing waters should be closed to harvesting following an illness outbreak from waterborne pathogens or toxins from harmful algae associated with the consumption of shellfish.
Roles of the Agencies. Department of the Environment
1. Solid Waste Program (SWP)
a. Issues refuse disposal permits for municipal landfills (refuse, garbage, commercial and non-hazardous industrial waste), rubble landfills (construction and demolition debris), industrial waste landfills, land-clearing debris landfills, incinerators, transfer stations, and processing facilities.
b. Oversees and reviews data from environmental monitoring at solid waste disposal facilities.
c. Reviews closure and post-closure plans for solid waste disposal facilities.
d. Inspects operations at permitted facilities and investigates complaints regarding illegal dumps that are systems of refuse disposal as defined in statute and regulations.
e. Issues permits for facilities that recycle natural wood wastes such as tree stumps, brush and limbs, root mats, logs, leaves, grass clippings, and other natural vegetative materials.
f. Conducts compliance inspections of hazardous waste generators, Treatment, Storage, and Disposal facilities, and transporters of hazardous wastes, responds to hazardous waste complaints, and conducts enforcement activities related to violations of hazardous waste laws, regulations, and permits.
g. Conducts compliance inspections of sewage sludge utilization sites, responds to sewage sludge utilization complaints, and conducts enforcement activities related to violations of sewage sludge utilization laws, regulations, and permits.
h. Conducts compliance inspections of scrap tire sites, responds to scrap tire complaints, and conducts enforcement activities related to violations of scrap tire laws, regulations, and licenses.
i. Performs groundwater monitoring evaluations at permitted landfills or other landfills that fall under the SWP's regulatory authority.
2. Waste Diversion and Utilization Program
a. Regulates the discharges from animal feeding operations.
b. Regulates the utilization of sewage sludge (treatment, land application, transportation, incineration, disposal, and others) in the State.
c. Provides assistance and guidance to County recycling programs, reports on market development for recyclable materials, and encourages recycling and source reduction through outreach and education activities.
d. Oversees mercury switch law that requires the removal of mercury switches from end-of-life vehicles.
e. Oversees scrap tire cleanup projects.
f. Issues licenses or approvals for scrap tire collection facilities, haulers, and recyclers, and substitute fuel/tire derived fuel faci...
