Eastern Shore lawmakers say Md. septic-tank rules aimed at rural counties; newspaper begs to differ

Some lawmakers on Maryland's Eastern Shore say Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley is launching a war on the rural counties in the state by calling for curbs on building septic tanks for new homes, but a report from The Baltimore Sun suggests that the legislation may have more effect in suburban areas. Predictably, since they have the most people, the counties with the highest number of septic tanks are urban, the Sun's Tim Wheeler reports. However, the counties with the highest percentage of homes on septic tanks are mostly rural. The Sun posted a map of county-level septic tank data here.

The legislation is aimed at limiting or changing the use of septic systems in future growth, which means the focus should be on where they are likely to be used in new development, Wheeler writes, giving estimates for several counties. He concludes that the data are far from conclusive that rural areas would be most affected, and suggests Eastern Shore lawmakers, who set up a website about the alleged war on rural Maryland, should instead call it "The War on Suburban and some of Rural Maryland." (Read more)