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SB0225 • 2026

Environment - Interjurisdictional Watersheds - Flood Management

Environment - Interjurisdictional Watersheds - Flood Management

Education Energy
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Senators M. Washington and Brooks
Last action
2026-03-25
Official status
In the House - Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m.
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Environment - Interjurisdictional Watersheds - Flood Management

Providing for the designation of the Carroll Creek, Gwynns Falls, Jones Falls, and Herring Run watersheds as interjurisdictional flood hazard watersheds for certain planning purposes.

What This Bill Does

  • Providing for the designation of the Carroll Creek, Gwynns Falls, Jones Falls, and Herring Run watersheds as interjurisdictional flood hazard watersheds for certain planning purposes.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

793321/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 793321/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 225 (First Reading File Bill) On page 3, strike in their entirety lines 9 through 14, inclusive.

  • AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 225 (First Reading File Bill) On page 3, strike in their entirety lines 9 through 14, inclusive.
  • SB0225/793321/1 BY: Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-25 House

    Hearing 4/02 at 1:00 p.m.

  2. 2026-02-20 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments Report by Education, Energy, and the Environment

  3. 2026-02-19 House

    Referred Environment and Transportation

  4. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Third Reading Passed (44-0)

  5. 2026-02-15 Senate

    Favorable with Amendments { 793321/1 Adopted

  6. 2026-02-15 Senate

    Second Reading Passed with Amendments

  7. 2026-01-16 Senate

    Hearing 2/03 at 1:00 p.m.

  8. 2026-01-14 Senate

    First Reading Education, Energy, and the Environment

  9. 2025-10-10 Senate

    Pre-filed

  10. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Environment - Interjurisdictional Watersheds - Flood Management

  11. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - Senate - Committee - Education, Energy, and the Environment

  12. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - Environment - Interjurisdictional Watersheds - Flood Management

Official Summary Text

Providing for the designation of the Carroll Creek, Gwynns Falls, Jones Falls, and Herring Run watersheds as interjurisdictional flood hazard watersheds for certain planning purposes.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0225*

SENATE BILL 225
M3 6lr1160
(PRE–FILED)
By: Senators M. Washington and Brooks
Requested: October 10, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: February 15, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Environment – Interjurisdictional Watersheds – Flood Management 2

FOR the purpose of providing for the designation of certain watersheds as 3
interjurisdictional flood hazard watersheds for certain planning purposes; and 4
generally relating to interjurisdictional watersheds and flood management. 5

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 6
Article – Environment 7
Section 5–503(c) 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2013 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 10

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
Article – Environment 12
Section 5–803(d) and (e) 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2013 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17

Article – Environment 18

5–503. 19
2 SENATE BILL 225

(c) (1) The Department, by regulation, may designate interjurisdictional 1
watersheds in which any impoundment proposal is subject to review and approval by the 2
Department for standards relating to safety and flood control. 3

(2) Gwynns Falls, Jones Falls, and Herring Run, situated in or adjacent to 4
Baltimore City, are designated interjurisdictional watersheds. 5

5–803. 6

(d) (1) (I) By July 1, 1990 each subdivision, in cooperation with the 7
Departments of the Environment and Agriculture, the Department of Planning, and other 8
appropriate State agencie s, shall prepare a flood management plan based upon an 9
evaluation of the alternative management techniques and other findings included in 10
studies conducted under subsection (b) of this section. 11

(II) Each flood management plan shall be consistent with the 12
purposes and provisions of this subtitle. 13

(2) Management techniques may include: 14

(i) Flood control dams; 15

(ii) Levees and dikes; 16

(iii) Stormwater detention or retention structures; 17

(iv) Public acquisition; 18

(v) Flood proofing; 19

(vi) Storm drain and stream maintenance; 20

(vii) Tax adjustment policies; 21

(viii) Subdivision, zoning, and related ordinances; and 22

(ix) Other practical methods. 23

(3) Management techniques shall include flood warning systems. 24

(e) (1) (I) In any interjurisdictional watershed, those portions of the flood 25
management plans of the subdivisions relating to the watershed shall be subject to review 26
and approval by the Department as one plan. 27

(II) IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMAR 26.17.02.07 AND § 5–503 28
OF THIS TITLE, THE FOLLOWING WATERS HEDS AND ALL THEIR H EADWATERS AND 29
SENATE BILL 225 3

TRIBUTARIES ARE DESI GNATED AS INTERJURIS DICTIONAL FLOOD HAZA RD 1
WATERSHEDS: 2

1. CARROLL CREEK IN FREDERICK CITY AND 3
FREDERICK COUNTY; 4

2. GWYNNS FALLS IN BALTIMORE CITY AND 5
BALTIMORE COUNTY; 6

3. JONES FALLS IN BALTIMORE CITY AND BALTIMORE 7
COUNTY; AND 8

4. HERRING RUN IN BALTIMORE CITY AND BALTIMORE 9
COUNTY. 10

(III) IN ADDITION TO THE WA TERSHEDS SPECIFIED U NDER 11
SUBPARAGRAPH (II) OF THIS PARAGRAPH , THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DESI GNATE 12
THE PATAPSCO RIVER, INCLUDING ALL HEADWA TERS AND TRIBUTARIES IN 13
BALTIMORE CITY, BALTIMORE COUNTY, HOWARD COUNTY, CARROLL COUNTY, 14
AND ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, AS AN INTERJURISDICT IONAL FLOOD HAZARD 15
WATERSHED. 16

(2) (I) Any comprehensive flood management plan which includes a 17
project for which grant funds are requested under this section is subject to review and 18
approval by the Department. 19

(II) If a plan is disapproved, the Secretary shall set forth in writing 20
the reason for disapproval. 21

(III) Disapproval of a plan shall be based only on flood management 22
considerations. 23

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 24
October 1, 2026. 25