Stormwater proposal debated at hearing that draws 200

Virginia's proposal to crack down on stormwater pollution either is a wise environmental move or a blow against builders and taxpayers.

Speakers took those positions last night during a public hearing that packed nearly 200 people into a General Assembly Building room.

"Stormwater reductions are absolutely necessary to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay," said Richard A. Parrish, a senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, a conservation group. "The alternative is to write off the bay."

He said other forms of pollution also need to be reduced.

Some critics, however, said the proposed rules would promote sprawl by making construction more expensive and forcing developers to build on cheaper land in outlying areas.

Dave Anderson, a Chesterfield County developer, said the rules likely would force localities to impose monthly rainwater bills alongside sewer bills.

"These regulations in their current form will not help the Chesapeake Bay or the economy of Virginia," Anderson said.

Virginia's stormwater rules dictate the things a developer must do, such as building ponds, to limit runoff long after a project is finished. That runoff can carry animal waste, oil, grime and other pollution into streams.

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation is proposing tougher rules to help clean state waters.

Among other things, the proposal calls for a 38 percent reduction in the amount of phosphorus, a key pollutant, that can flow from a site.

That crackdown could require builders to devote more land to structures that reduce runoff.

The Home Builders Association of Virginia says the new rules could add millions of dollars to construction costs for subdivisions and commercial projects.

State officials deny that. They say the revised rules could add, for example, up to $6,200 to the cost of some new homes and up to $70,000 to the construction cost of a "big-box" store.

In many cases, there would be no extra cost, officials say. The cost would be determined by the size of the project, the way water flows there and other factors.

The conservation department, which conducted the hearing, is receiving the public's comments until Aug. 21. The revised rules would take effect in about a year.

Contact Rex Springston at (804) 649-6453 or .