Queen Anne’s County recently passed Maryland’s first law requiring regular septic tank pumping every five years, and became the first county to require nitrogen removal systems for new homes built near Chesapeake Bay, which forms the county’s western border. The ordinance would likely require onsite owners to maintain records and the county to conduct random audits.Some residents argue that there is no third-party scientific proof that the changes will affect the health of the bay. The county’s top environmental health officer, John Nickerson, says it’s unclear how much nitrogen from onsite systems reaches the bay, and says the environmental impact
