From the Deep Creek Watershed Foundation:
Thanks to Governor Larry Hogan, Garrett County’s Delegate Wendell Beitzel and Senator George Edwards, Maryland has added extra funding for its sixteen State-owned freshwater lakes for the last three years through the State Lakes Protection and Restoration Fund. This fund provided one million dollars per year for all sixteen lakes, and it ended this year. Divided among sixteen lakes, this provided about $62,000 per lake per year.
On March 2, House Bill 1075 was presented by Delegate Jason Buckel, House Minority Leader, to the House Transportation and Environment Committee. (Chair Kumar Barve, D, Montgomery County) The Deep Creek Watershed Foundation President and the Deep Creek Property Owners Association President testified in favor of the bill and others in these organizations have submitted written testimony.
The Bill calls for a permanent fund of three million dollars with no sunset provision. Although similar bills have been brought before this Committee for each of the last three years, these have not been moved out of committee. Despite enormous yearly investment in the Chesapeake, fresh water lakes have seen comparatively minimal State support with ever-increasing needs.
If you wish to contact Delegate Barve to support this bill, call his office at (410) 841-3990, email him at kumar.barve@house.md.state.us or write to him at House Office Building, Room 251, 6 Bladen Street, Annapolis, MD 21401. If you reside outside of Garrett County elsewhere in Maryland, contact your local legislators to support this bill.
Read more about the Maryland State Lakes Protection and Resoration Fund here.
