A state task force is formally calling on Maryland lawmakers to raise the so-called flush fee by as much as three-times its current rate of $2.50 per month. The 28-member task force is recommending that the state double the rate to $60 a year next year, and $90 a year by 2015. The money would go towards improving sewage treatment plants and helping those who are on septic systems upgrade to more environmentally friendly systems, all in an effort to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay. If it works and the state meets its cleanup responsibilities as dictated by the EPA by 2030, it also is recommended the fee get rolled back to $30 per year. The committee’s lone dissenter to the flush fee increase was Senator David Brinkley, who expressed concern the money would be used to cover other, unrelated projects.