Construction crews must install silt fences, holding ponds and other devices to hold back the dirty runoff, but the devices are required to handle only 1 inch of stormwater runoff, said Tracie Reynolds, a county Department of Public Works spokesman.

The recent rains far exceeded that amount, so there haven't been any sediment violations issued, Ms. Reynolds said.

"We do acknowledge the fact that this is an unusual rain," Ms. Reynolds said.

She added: "Even if the erosion control is installed perfectly, it's never going to handle a major storm event like this."

However, inspectors are visiting sites and issuing notices requiring crews to fix devices that broke during the storm. If the stormwater controls aren't fixed, the developers can face penalties.

"We have many inspectors and many calls coming in," Ms. Reynolds said.

Stormwater runoff is a concern because it dumps sediment into creeks and rivers. The sediment makes the water cloudy and can settle on the bottom, where it smothers underwater grasses and oyster bars.

Poorly controlled runoff also can cause problems on land, such as flooding.

Jeff Moore, whose flooded property in Severna Park was featured in an article in The Capital on Saturday, said on Monday the situation had grown a lot worse.

"It's three times worse," he said. "The water is 25 yards behind my house now and half the street is flooded, too. Those boots I was wearing the other day are too short now. I have 6-by-6s floating in my yard."

Patricia Williams of the Shipley's Choice community in Millersville reported a similar problem: Woods removed above her house for a development had allowed stormwater to flood her yard.

"This happened before," Mrs. Williams said. "And the county came out and said it was our fault because we moved in a house at the bottom of the hill. Well, we lived here for 30 years and it was not a problem until they took those trees out for those huge houses."

Fred Kelly, the Severn Riverkeeper, fielded calls and e-mails from residents along Saltworks Creek, which became clouded during the rainstorms. He said there are better ways to control stormwater, but developers don't use them because they're not required.

He favors a technique called a "coastal plain outfall." Instead of pipes and fences directing the stormwater, the coastal plain outfall absorbs and treats stormwater through a series of pools that more closely mimic the natural environment.

"Here we had a terrible storm and everyone sees this terrible stuff come into the waterways, and we have a solution," Mr. Kelly said.

Bob Gallagher, riverkeeper for the West and Rhode rivers in south county, shared similar concerns.

"The phone's been ringing off the hook from Deale to Mayo," he said. "People have been calling with examples of runoff from construction projects, and the fact the county is approving designs where they are only required to control for an inch of rain is just ludicrous."

Mr. Kelly and Mr. Gallagher said the county government should rewrite their rules and require more.

"We all know that designing for 1 inch doesn't cut it anymore," Mr. Gallagher said.