THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 15, 1995 TAG: 9501150107
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ANNAPOLIS, MD. LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
A report has come up with innovative ways to fund the next phase of the Chesapeake Bay cleanup.
The report, released Friday, outlined 35 suggestions for financing a projected $80 million annual gap between current funding and money needed for the cleanup.
Will Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said all the financing options must be pursued.
``We have just turned the corner with the bay and it's showing signs of improvement,'' he said.
Teams of residents in each of the 10 major river basins that feed into the bay will decide which ideas are best for financing projects in their areas, said Cecily Majerus, Maryland's bay coordinator.
Suggestions by the panel of local and state officials, lawmakers and researchers included:
Expanding the commemorative license plate program and creating an ``adopt-a-crab'' effort, that encourage donations while educating people about ways to protect the bay.
Creating utilities to manage stormwater runoff, charging landowners a fee that could be used to install storm-water control devices in neighborhoods built before they were required.
Charging septic tank owners and private well users a yearly fee for degrading or using the aquifer.
Extending the state's revolving loan fund program to the private sector, allowing loans for controlling shoreline erosion, restoring streams and repairing failing septic systems. by CNB