Washington County officials will hold a public hearing Tuesday night about the county’s plan to return control of its stormwater management program to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
The county has been handling the program since 2014, when state legislation was approved that allowed local governments to opt in or out of local program administration.
The change would mean that the state would handle stormwater permits for developments that are 1 acre or larger, according to County Administrator Jason Berry. Any development less than an acre but larger than 10,000 square feet requires erosion sediment control plans, which will still be handled by the county, he said.
The move would require approval by the county’s board of supervisors of an ordinance outlining the change and would take effect July 1. The board can consider the ordinance after the public hearing.
The county has worked to maintain compliance in collaboration with DEQ, but increasing administrative costs, complexity and industry concerns have prompted a reevaluation, according to a county news release.
“After more than a decade of administering this program locally, it has become clear that continuing in this capacity places an unsustainable burden on county operations and finances,” Berry said earlier in a news release.
During a meeting in August, the board of supervisors adopted a resolution declaring its intent to return the program to the DEQ, which initiated the transition process.
The resolution states the reasons for the change, including ongoing criticism from developers and industry leaders regarding the regulatory impact on new development.
Berry said last week that the county has been administering a program that is actually a state law and getting a lot of “flack” from developers who say they can develop a lot easier in North Carolina and Tennessee than in Virginia, where the laws are more stringent.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the county government center at 1 Government Place in Abingdon. Here’s the agenda.
