This system imposes a tax that is proportional to the total impervious area on a particular property, including concrete or asphalt driveways and roofs, that do not allow rain to infiltrate.
In 1985, in order to ensure the legal equity of charging based on the polluter pays principle, the German Federal Administrative Court and the local high court ruled that the sewage system charges should be separately collected as usage fees for rainwater exclusion and as usage fees for sewage exclusion.
In addition, outdoor plant cultivation facilities and green business are also proposed as alternatives to the reduction of the stormwater fee.
[2] Germany has seen two effects in this regard : increasing rainwater recycling rates and reducing sewage fee and tap water usage.
Officials cite the severe damage inflicted by the heavy rain on infrastructure, buildings and agriculture in the Po valley, insisting that this money urgently needs to be recouped.
[4] The Maryland General Assembly enacted a stormwater management fee program in House Bill 987 (April 2012), which was signed into law by then-governor Martin O'Malley.
The law applies to the largest urban jurisdictions in Maryland (nine counties and the City of Baltimore) in order to meet the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act as it concerns the Chesapeake Bay watershed.