The Daily Record - On the Record: At MACo, wastewater’s on the table

20080815 The Daily Record - On the Record: At MACo, wastewater’s on the table

It’s an idea whose time has come. It is still a little expensive…

At MACo, wastewater’s on the table

August 15, 2008

Perhaps you’ve heard of some western U.S. municipalities that are recycling water, or purifying their own wastewater for reuse in the community. Sounds a little nauseating, but it’s been an apparent success in many communities.

[…]

Maryland Environment Secretary Shari Wilson said Thursday that Maryland is not working on any regulations for water reuse, but will be interested to discuss the concept with local governments.

ANDY ROSEN, Business Writer

Posted by The Daily Record Filed Under business, government

Read the entire post here At MACo, wastewater’s on the table – and follow the links in the post:

http://blogs.mddailyrecord.com/ontherecord/2008/08/15/at-maco-wastewaters-on-the-table/

Water Sewer, Water Sewer Maryland, Water Sewer recycled water, Water Sewer Westminster, Water Sewer Wster Wastewater Treat Plant

20080516 NYT Los Angeles Eyes Sewage as a Source of Water

20080516 NYT Los Angeles Eyes Sewage as a Source of Water

May 16, 2008

Los Angeles Eyes Sewage as a Source of Water

By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD

LOS ANGELES — Faced with a persistent drought and the threat of tighter water supplies, Los Angeles plans to begin using heavily cleansed sewage to increase drinking water supplies, joining a growing number of cities considering similar measures.

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, who opposed such a plan a decade ago over safety concerns, announced the proposal on Thursday as part of a package of initiatives to put the city, the nation’s second largest, on a stricter water budget…

[…]

Many cities and towns across the country, including Los Angeles, already recycle wastewater for industrial uses and landscaping.

But the idea of using recycled wastewater, after intense filtering and chemical treatment, to replenish aquifers and reservoirs has gotten more notice lately because of technological advances that, industry leaders say, can make the water purer than tap water. San Diego and South Florida are also considering or planning to test the idea, and Orange County, Calif., opened a $481 million plant in January, without much community resistance, that is believed to be the world’s largest such facility.

[…]

It will cost about $1 billion to retool the water works to treat the sewage, capture more rainfall and make other improvements. The money, city officials said, will come in part from state grants and fees on polluters, though they have not ruled out increases in water bills as well. The City Council must approve some of the changes.

Read the entire article here: Los Angeles Eyes Sewage as a Source of Water

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/us/16water.html?ref=us

Water Sewer, Water Sewer Maryland, Water Sewer recycled water, Water Sewer Westminster, Water Sewer Wster Wastewater Treat Plant

20071022 City of Westminster MD Water Consumer Confidence Report

City of Westminster MD Water Consumer Confidence Report

October 22, 2007

Office of Streets and Utilities

Streets & Utilities Utility Maintenance Department Wastewater Treatment Plant Wastewater Background Info. Wastewater Facts & Figures Water Treatment Plant Water System Additional Info. Water System Facts & Figures

Please see also: 20051011 What is a Consumer Confidence Report?

And

Please contact the City's Department of Planning and Public Works at (410) 848 - 9002 with any questions or requests for more detailed information in regard to these documents.

2006 WATER QUALITY DATA - WAKEFIELD SYSTEM (pdf file)

2006 WATER QUALITY DATA - CRANBERRY SYSTEM (pdf file)

2005 WATER QUALITY DATA - WAKEFIELD SYSTEM (100kb pdf file)

2005 WATER QUALITY DATA - CRANBERRY SYSTEM (158kb pdf file)

2005 WATER USAGE REPORT SUMMARY (404kb pdf file)

HIGH TURBIDITY INCIDENT REPORT - NOVEMBER 7, 2005 (46kb pdf file)

20070709 Water Expert Jeff Glass: Water restrictions only weeks away

Water Expert Jeff Glass: Water restrictions only weeks away

Drought and water issues persist

July 11th, 2007

Westminster’s Acting Public Works Director Jeff Glass told Channel 2’s Jeff Hager last Monday that perhaps “sooner than the next two weeks our drought management plan will be such that we've hit the triggers to cause us to go to code yellow at that point, and that's voluntary restrictions.”

_____

What is amazing to me is that in spite of all the media attention to Westminster’s water challenges in the last 6 years, one can still travel about Westminster on a hot day and see folks watering their yards.

Now I made a living as a landscaper and nursery stock farmer for twenty-five years and I understand the value of plants and landscaping as much as the next person – but a green lawn is not more important that people and adequate supplies of drinking water is a basic health, safety, and welfare matter.

So I guess what folks who are watering their lawns are callously communicating is that their lawn is more important than the health, safety and welfare of their friends, neighbors, loved ones, family and fellow city residents…

Anyway, Channel 2 ran the story last Monday, July 9th, 2007, on the purchase of Hyde’s Quarry and the current lack of rainfall. Try as I might, I could not find the video on their web site. Nevertheless, Channel 2 said, in part:

July 9, 2007 8:29 PM Water Restriction For Westminster Weeks Away

http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=B5FB8B71-6426-43DA-B554-226A9F191FB1&gsa=true

Posted By: jeff hager

The experts believe this quarry due west of Westminster may hold as much as 150 million gallons of water, but tapping into it may be years away.

[…]

And that recurring problem will prompt the city to call upon its residents to cut back in just a matter of weeks, according to Acting Public Works Director Jeff Glass. "I'd say that sooner than the next two weeks our drought management plan will be such that we've hit the triggers to cause us to go to code yellow at that point, and that's voluntary restrictions."

[…]

In a matter of weeks, Westminster residents will be asked to cut back on watering their lawns, washing their cars and to adopt other conservation measures to keep the restrictions from becoming mandatory.

####

20070404 Text of the consent agreement between Westminster Maryland and Maryland Department of the Environment

20070404 Text of the consent agreement between Westminster Maryland and Maryland Department of the Environment

(For other posts on "Soundtrack" - www.kevindayhoff.net about Westminster and Carroll County water and sewer issues click on: "Water and Sewer.")

Text of the consent agreement between he City of Westminster, Carroll County Maryland and the Maryland Department of the Environment

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

STATE OF MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

1800 Washington Boulevard Baltimore, Maryland 21230

SECRETARY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

WATER MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATION

v.

THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF WESTMINSTER *

PO Box 710 *

Westminster, Maryland 21158 * *

CONSENT ORDER

This Consent Order is entered into between the State of Maryland, Department of the Environment ("MDE" or "Department"), pursuant to the powers, duties, and responsibilities vested in and imposed upon the Secretary of the Environment by Title 1, Title 5, Subtitle 5, and Title 9, Subtitles 2 and 5 of the Environment Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, as delegated to the Director of the Water Management Administration (the "Administration") and The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster, ("City") regarding the provision of a safe and adequate water supply for the City and surrounding areas in Carroll County dependant on the City’s water supply.

WHEREAS, the City owns and operates two Water Supply Systems ("Water Supply Systems") serving the City of Westminster and portions of Carroll County, Maryland. They are known as the Cranberry and Wakefield Valley Water Systems. These water systems, under drought conditions, are not sufficient to serve all existing connections and all properties that have been issued building permits. During the drought of 2002, the City enacted mandatory water restrictions, trucked in water to serve existing users and connections, and violated a condition of one of its water appropriation permits requiring the City to cease withdrawals at certain locations when stream flow is below minimum levels. As a result of this water supply inadequacy, there was a moratorium on the issuance of new building permits and approval of subdivision plats for properties that would be served by the City’s water systems; and

WHEREAS, the City is taking certain measures to bridge the gap between its water supply demand during drought conditions, including utilizing water from Medford Quarry,

employing water restrictions as an interim measure, and developing plans to reduce water losses and increase water conservation. The City is also preparing a plan to appropriately manage and allocate its water resources. To address the City’s long-term water needs to supply water for new growth, the City is investigating the feasibility of alternative sources and preparing a plan to bring one or more of these alternatives to fruition. The purpose of this Consent Order is to allow the City to meet its existing water needs while remedial measures are being developed and put on-line, accommodate a limited amount of interim growth and establish an effective system for managing future capacity in accordance with MDE guidelines.

Regulatory Scheme

WHEREAS, the General Assembly has enacted a comprehensive permitting and regulatory scheme governing the provision of safe and adequate drinking water to the citizens of Maryland; and

WHEREAS, the Secretary of the Department is charged with the responsibility for regulating the operation of Water Supply Systems in a manner that will protect the public health and comfort, and for enforcing State Laws regarding corrections to public Water Supply Systems or the operations of such systems in order to abate risks to the public health or comfort; and

WHEREAS, Title 1, Subtitle 3, of the Environment Article authorizes the Secretary of the Environment to carry out the statutes and regulations promulgated under the Article; and WHEREAS, under Title 9, Subtitle 2, of the Environment Article, MDE is responsible for overseeing and assuring the adequacy of Water Supply Systems; and

WHEREAS, Section 9-252 of the Environment Article provides that the Secretary may require any public water system "to be operated in a manner that will protect public health and comfort" and that the Secretary "has supervision and control over the sanitary and physical condition of the waters of this State to protect public health and comfort"; and

WHEREAS, under Section 9-206 of the Environment Article, land platted for subdivision may not be sold unless a plat has been submitted to the Department or to a delegated local authority, which includes a statement of the methods, consistent with title 9, Subtitle 5, by which the subdivision is to be supplied with water; and

WHEREAS, Section 9-222 of the Environment Article provides that, where the absence or incompleteness of a system operated by a political subdivision is prejudicial to the public health or comfort, the Secretary may order the political subdivision to install, alter, extend, utilize, operate or complete a water supply system; and

WHEREAS, under Section 9-512(b) of the Environment Article, the local authority has the responsibility not to issue building permits unless, taking into consideration all existing and approved development in the service area, the water system is adequate to serve the proposed development; and

WHEREAS, under Section 9-512(d) of the Environment Article, a subdivision plat may not be approved unless the water supply system would be completed in time to serve the proposed development and would be adequate to serve the proposed development once completed; and

WHEREAS, an adequate water supply system is one that is capable of meeting its average demand and its maximum demand under drought conditions. A water system’s capacity is determined by evaluating the ability of the sources and treatment facilities to produce water under drought conditions while taking into account the water sources, water storage, and water appropriation and use permit limits. A water system’s demand is determined from past usage patterns and the characteristics of the user community, including residential, commercial and industrial use. The projection of future growth is used to establish demand for future years. Demands under drought conditions are determined for average daily annual usage, average daily usage during the month of maximum use, and maximum day.

Factual Background

WHEREAS, the City’s Water Supply Systems are public water systems that are supplying water to apartments, businesses, churches, public facilities, residences and schools located within the City and portions of Carroll County, Maryland; and

WHEREAS, the City’s Water Supply Systems serve a population of approximately 33,000 located in Carroll County, Maryland. The City maintains 6.9 million gallons of available storage of treated water and owns and operates a series of eleven (11) wells and stream intake structures (on Cranberry Branch and West Branch (Hull Creek)); conveyance systems; a raw water reservoir; water treatment and pumping facilities; and a distribution system that includes water mains, fire hydrants, and water meters; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to nine separate water appropriation and use permits, the City is authorized to withdraw 1.476 mgd as an annual average from the City’s eleven (11) production wells. Pursuant to Water Appropriation and Use Permit CL1957S002(06), the City is authorized to withdraw 2 mgd as an annual average from Cranberry Branch and West Branch as long as the. stream flow is greater than 0.3 cubic feet per second (cfs) below the intake on Cranberry Branch and greater than 0.55 cfs in the West Branch; and

WHEREAS, as reflected in Table 1 below, an analysis of the safe yield of the Water Supply Systems under drought of record conditions revealed a total capacity of 2.229 mgd as an annual average, with 1.18 mgd from the City’s eleven production wells and 1.05 mgd from the two surface water sources;

WHEREAS, the annual average drought year demand, including the demand from all permitted but not yet connected users as of December 31, 2006 is 2.996 mgd, producing an estimated average annual drought year deficit of 0.767 mgd ("Drought Year Deficit"); and

WHEREAS, the City and MDE evaluated the capacity of the City’s sources to meet the average annual system demand during non-drought conditions. Well 11 was not included in this analysis as it does not have a permanent connection and would not be used during an average hydrologic year.

MDE’s analysis of the City’s production data showed that the average year capacity under non-drought conditions, as shown in Table 1, was 2.992 mgd; and

WHEREAS, the City determined that the average year demand under non-drought conditions (equivalent to a drought year demand with water restrictions in place) including the demand from all building permits issued prior to December 31, 2006, but not yet connected to the water system, is 2.853 mgd (also shown in Table 1), which represents a surplus of 139,000 gpd under average hydrologic conditions; and

WHEREAS, in order to address their drought year water shortages, the City applied for an emergency appropriation of 1.08 mgd on any single day from Medford Quarry during 2002 and again in 2005. MDE authorized temporary emergency withdrawals of 1.08 mgd for any one

day in 2002 and 2005 via Permits CL2002S042(01) and CL2005S028(O1). The annual average reported water uses were 0.15 mgd and 0.267 mgd in 2002 and 2005, respectively. In order to obtain a permanent emergency back up source of supply, the City secured an agreement with the owner of Medford Quarry in June of 2005; and

WHEREAS, after the Department completed its review of all the relevant information available and taking into account the amount of land owned by the Quarry, the Department issued a Water Appropriation and Use Permit (No. CL2002S042(02)) in June of 2006 to the City for up to 0.5 mad from the Quarry as a maximum daily amount. The use was permitted as a back up supply to the City’s other surface water withdrawals from Cranberry Run and West Branch (Hull Creek) to help address the existing deficit and not to support any new development; and

WHEREAS, in accordance with § 9-512(d) and after meeting with the Department and the City in June 2006, the Carroll County Environmental Health Department stopped signing record plats in July 2006 as the City had not demonstrated that its water system would be adequate to serve additional connections; and

WHEREAS, after reviewing the City’s final Capacity Management Plan, MDE directed the Carroll County Environmental Health Department in September 2006 to no longer approve building permits that would result in a net increase in water demand on the City’s water system; d.

WHEREAS, according to the City’s Water Supply Capacity Management Plan, dated August 2006, the City’s unaccounted for water was as high as 24% of the total water delivered from the City’s water sources. Water loss could include authorized unmetered water usage, water leakage, meter errors, unauthorized use or billing errors.

Recent Actions Taken by the City to Improve System Capacity

WHEREAS, the City has taken the following steps to improve the system capacity and cover the Drought Year Deficit:

a. Secured engineering services for the design and permitting of a pipeline from Medford Quarry to Cranberry Reservoir;

Submitted a revised application for funding (low interest loan) to MDE to begin construction of the said pipeline and received an award of $6.5 million;

c. Made an application to withdraw 2.0 mgd as an annual average from Big Pipe Creek in May 2006;

d. Submitted in January 2007 an application to increase its appropriation from Medford Quarry to 1 mgd during the month of maximum use and 250,000 gpd as an annual average;

e. Submitted an application in December 2006 to withdraw water from Hydes Quarry as a back-up source for Little Pipe Creek. The total average annual withdrawal request for these sources is approximately 1 mgd;

f. Submitted an application in December 2006 to withdraw water from Little Pipe Creek initially as a back-up source to increase operational flexibility but then, if and when the Hydes Quarry withdrawal is permitted and connected to the Water Supply Systems, to provide an additional water source;

g. Evaluated the benefit of increasing the size of Cranberry Reservoir on the safe yield of the water system. Other sites for additional storage are also being evaluated to provide raw water storage;

h. Issued a Request for Proposal of Engineering Services to design a water treatment system for the Koontz Creamery Well. Alternatives being evaluated are direct treatment and use and pumping the well to the Cranberry Reservoir via pipeline;

i. Negotiating easements for a permanent connection for Roops Mill Well #11. Design is at 85% completion;

j. Contracted for installation of ion exchange treatment for nitrate removal at Vo¬Tech well with a Spring 2007 completion date;

k. Hired staff to review water billing to determine what portion of the 24% unaccounted for water may be due to accounting and billing errors; and

l. Participated in forming a task force with the County to evaluate and implement joint solutions to the water capacity problem.

m. Drafted amendment to the City’s portion of the Carroll County Water and Sewer Plan which describes the means and methods by which the City is addressing the Drought Year Deficit and what sources of additional water sources the City is considering to meet its future water needs.

NOW, THEREFORE, it is this (blank) day of (blank), 2007, pursuant to Sections 9-252,9-220, 9-221, 9-222, 9-268, and 9-335, AGREED between the Water Management Administration and the City of Westminster and ORDERED by the Director of the Water Management Administration that:

1. The City shall complete its technical study and meet all other regulatory requirements in support of its application to withdraw additional water from Medford Quarry and submit the completed application to MDE by November 1, 2007.

2. Within sixty (60) days of MDE’s decision on the Medford Quarry application, the City shall submit to MDE a final plan and schedule to complete all phases of projects necessary to eliminate the Drought Year Deficit. If the Medford Quarry source, as permitted, does not completely satisfy the Drought Year Deficit, the City shall apply toward the deficit all demonstrated reductions in unaccounted for water due to repairing leaks until the deficit is fully addressed. If, after considering the Medford Quarry permit and reductions in water loss, other projects are needed to fully address the Drought Year Deficit, the City shall complete all water use and appropriation applications for such projects within six months of MDE’s Medford Quarry decision.

3. The City shall complete its evaluation of the sources of unaccounted for water and submit a Water Loss Reduction Plan by June 30, 2007. The evaluation shall be submitted to MDE for review and comment.

a. The evaluation shall identify the average daily quantity and percentage of unaccounted for water believed to be due to:

i. leaks in the water distribution system;

ii. accounting errors;

iii. faulty/under reading customer meters or other meter errors;

iv. unmetered usage;

v. fire fighting;

vi. theft; and

vii. unknown sources;

b. The evaluation shall justify the estimates provided in subparagraph a above. Range of estimates shall be provided as dictated by available data; and

c. The Water Loss Reduction Plan shall identify those actions necessary to achieve a goal often (10) percent (%) or less unaccounted for water loss by 2012. The plan shall include to a description of capital improvement projects needed to correct significant leaks in the water supply system’s infrastructure. The plan shall include methods to comprehensively review the system to identify potential leaks no less than three times per year. The City shall annually submit a water audit following MDE guidelines and report on progress for implementing its plan by February 15 of each year for the preceding year.

4. By June 15, 2007, the City shall develop a Water Conservation Plan to promote the wise use of water to reduce excessive water usage. The Water Conservation Plan shall be submitted to MDE for review and comment. The Water Conservation Plan shall address the following:

a. Recommend changes to City Ordinance to promote establishing conservation measures, such as prohibiting outdoor lawn watering during certain daytime hours, establishing odd/even days for outdoor watering, granting incentives for planting new developments with drought tolerant grasses and using stormwater for outdoor watering;

b. Consider further replacement/rebate programs to promote greater use of low-flow fixtures;

c. Establishing a public education and outreach campaign;

d. Conduct water audits of the largest water users; and

e. By February 15 of each year, the City shall annually report on water conservation activities.

5. MDE agrees to review and make timely comments on all plans and reports submitted by the City.

6. Upon signing this Consent Order, the City shall be granted 60,000 gpd as an annual average to allocate in accordance with an Interim Allocation Plan, which the City will develop within 30 days from the date of this Consent Order. A copy of said interim Allocation Plan will be provided to MDE for its records.

7. MDE shall permit the City to maintain a flow-by of 0.2 cfs for Cranberry Branch and 0.37 cfs for West Branch as long as mandatory water restrictions are in place and until the project constructing the water line from Medford Quarry to the Cranberry Reservoir is complete.

The City shall conduct stream surveys/biological assessments of Cranberry Branch and West Branch in accordance with procedures contained in the 2001 Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS) Sampling Manual. The surveys/assessments shall be made upstream and downstream of each intake site, with the locations proposed by the City and approved by MDE. Sampling of water quality and benthic macroinvertebrates shall be completed during the Spring Index Period (March 1 to May l, 2007). Sampling of fish and herptofauna and evaluation of stream physical habitats shall be conducted during the Summer Index Period (June 1 to September 30). The City shall submit a comprehensive plan to conduct such monitoring by April 1, 2007 and a final report by December 31, 2007.

8. By June 30, 2007, the City shall have in place the contract(s) necessary to haul a sufficient quantity of water equal to the difference between a system demand of 2.992 mgd and a drought of record year capacity newly calculated to account for the adjustment of the flow-by for Cranberry Branch and West Branch under paragraph 7 of this Consent Order. The City shall submit the revised mass flow analysis at the lower flow-bys along with copy of contract(s) by June 30, 2007.

9. By July 1, 2007, the City shall complete all permit applications needed to make a permanent connection of Well 11. Within 30 days of receiving all permits and completing easement negotiations, the City shall advertise the project for construction. The City shall provide a -schedule to MDE for the permanent connection of Well 11 and report to MDE when this well is permanently connected to the system.

10. By March 1, 2008 the City shall submit an updated Capacity Management Plan to MDE for review and approval. The Capacity Management Plan shall be consistent with MDE’s Guidance Document (2006). The Capacity Management Plan shall describe in detail how the City will manage its existing and future water commitments, the criteria it will use for distributing future flow allocations, and how it will limit the issuance of building permits and approval of subdivision plats so as not to exceed the capacity of the water supply system. The City shall implement the approved plan.

11. By April 1, 2008 the City shall submit a plan and schedule to ensure that the Water Supply Systems have sufficient capacity to meet all existing demand and demand for future planned growth under drought of record conditions. The plan shall also provide for a water reserve capacity to ensure no water deficit in the future.

12. Upon MDE’s approval of the City’s plan and schedule, the Department will issue notice to the City allowing it to allocate the remaining 79,000 gpd (of the 139,000 gpd surplus under average hydrologic conditions) as an annual average if the following conditions are met:

a. The City has received all approvals needed to construct the emergency pipelines from Medford Quarry and is on schedule with construction of this conveyance system (see paragraph 2 above);

b. The City has entered into all contracts necessary to complete the connection of Well 11 and has begun construction of the connection; and

c. The City is in compliance with all other conditions of this Consent Order.

13. The City shall implement water use restrictions, both voluntary and mandatory, d shall haul water from an approved source in accordance with the City’s Drought Management Plan dated July 24, 2006, until all of the projects needed to eliminate the drought year deficit and supply the 139,000 gpd authorized by this Consent Order are completed.

14. MDE reserves the right to require measures to make habitat improvements, revise flow-by conditions (see paragraph 7) or revise contract hauling requirements (see paragraph 8) based on the stream surveys and biological assessments provided under paragraph 7 of this Consent Order.

15. The City waives any right it may have to request a contested case hearing concerning the terms of this Consent Order.

16. Nothing in this Consent Order shall be construed to limit any authority of the Administration to issue any orders, enforce any applicable permits, or to take any action it deems necessary to protect the public health or comfort, or to limit any authority the Administration has or may hereafter be delegated. Any delays in meeting the requirements of this Consent Order, whether justified or not, may result in termination of this Consent Order at the discretion of the Administration. Subject to the two preceding sentences and any amendment of this Consent Order, this Consent Order shall be in effect until the City’s long-term measures to ensure an adequate water supply come are completed.

17. The provisions of the Consent Order shall apply to and be binding upon the City of Westminster.

18. It is the intent of the parties that the provisions of this Consent Order are severable and that, should any provisions by declared by a court of law to be invalid or unenforceable, the other provisions shall remain in effect to the maximum extent reasonable.

19. This Consent Order shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland.

IT IS SO AGREED AND CONSENTED TO:

Date Virginia Kearney, Acting Director Water Management Administration

Date

The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster by

Thomas K. Ferguson, Mayor

Approved as to form and legal sufficiency This (blank) day of (blank), 2007.

Adam Snyder

Assistant Attorney General

20070328 Westminster to sign water agreement with MDE

Westminster to sign water agreement with MDE

March 28^th, 2007

Kelsey Volkmann writing for the Baltimore Examiner reports that the City of Westminster and the Maryland Department of the Environment have come to an agreement “an agreement on how much water there is in Westminster’s system and how much water is expected to be after Westminster completes the improvements we have been talking about doing,” Council Member Gregory Pecoraro said.”

The article dated today, March 28^th, 2007 can be found here: “Building can soon begin again in Westminster.”

####

20070308 Winchester Report: “A Sordid Saga.”

Winchester Report: “A Sordid Saga.”

“Union Mills reservoir and the pumpkin patch”

As appeared in my “Winchester Report” blog on the Westminster Eagle web site:

A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins

Note: see also, “20070307 A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins ” on “Soundtrack.”

By Kevin Dayhoff March 8th, 2007

Contrary to what is being circulated; the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.

Recently the old Whittaker Chambers “pumpkin patch&...[Read full story]

_____

A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins

03/08/07

By Kevin Dayhoff

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Contrary to what is being circulated; the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.

Recently the old Whittaker Chambers “pumpkin patch” farm just north of Westminster, in Carroll County Maryland has resurfaced in the news.

The Chambers’ Pipe Creek Farm was the scene of the “pumpkin papers” incident in which a former communist spy; Whittaker Chambers, defected to become a champion of the anti-communist cause at the beginnings of the cold war in 1948.

Mr. Chambers hid U.S. State Department documents in hollowed-out pumpkins on his Carroll County farm. Once he gave the documents to then- Congressman Richard Nixon, the entire issue of communists and communism in the United States gripped the nation for many years in what has become known as the “McCarthy era.”

The “pumpkin papers” named a local Baltimorean and Baltimore City High School and Johns Hopkins University graduate, Alger Hiss, as a communist spy.

The national, if not international story of intrigue, spies, and the beginnings of the cold war all took place in Carroll County with roles played by Carroll County and Baltimore citizens.

It is now almost 60 years later and intrigue and conspiracy continue to abound.

Since January, Carroll County officials have been plagued with persistent rumors and conspiracy theories, some of which have been published in local newspapers, that Carroll County wants to “seize” the old Chambers “pumpkin patch” farm. Good folks, good journalists and conspiratorialists alike have been “had” by this misinformation.

The misinformation seems to continue to grow legs and is about as far from the position of Carroll County officials as one could get. Carroll County is not trying to take the farm.

I attended what appears to be the genesis of the misinformation; the December 14th, 2006 “Public Hearing ~ Carroll County Water & Sewerage Master Plan.”

The public hearing was poorly attended except for a couple of gentleman who politely and eloquently expressed concern for their property which seemed to be involved in the proposed reservoir. Anyone can understand that. However, assurances were made by county officials that they were sensitive to the concerns of the citizens.

Somehow, from there, the alarm was quickly spread that the county was about to begin “seizing” land for the project even though that has not been the practice and policy of past commissioners and there seems to be no indication by the present Carroll County Board of Commissioners to go in that direction.

But, the casual reader and any person seriously interested in this aspect of our national history could read certain news accounts and walk away with the impression that the pumpkin patch will cease to exist as a result of the reservoir project. This is not true.

In the Internet age, where news is 24/seven, there is an epidemic of misinformation getting legs and if it is repeated often enough “it becomes true.”

Folks who have been “had” by the great “seizing” conspiracy are in good company - with ah, count them, 12 members of Congress who wrote to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on January 12th, 2007.

They wrote, in part;

“We are writing to express our support for continued preservation of an important National Historic Landmark located within Carroll County, known as Pipe Creek Farm. All steps must be taken to preserve the integrity of this property, having served as the home of a great patriot and noted author, Whittaker Chambers.”

So far – so good. From what I am aware of the attitude of Carroll County officials, they are also interested in “preserve(ing) the integrity of this property.”

So what is the problem?

It’s in the next paragraph:

“We understand that the Carroll County Commissioners are considering a water plan that includes the creation of a Union Mills reservoir which, if completed, would destroy a significant portion of this national treasure…”

The letter is signed by Members of Congress, Ros-Lehtine, Bartlett, Gilchrest, Mario Diaz-Balart, Wolf, Wilson, King, Bordallo (from Guam,) Feeney, Boozman, McCotter and Lincoln Diaz-Balart.

Well, it is true that the Commissioners are considering the creation of a Union Mills Reservoir. As has been considered since the mid 1970s when the City of Westminster first proposed the reservoir.

As I wrote on February 28th, 2007 in my Westminster Eagle column titled, “Recalling when B's Coffee Shoppe was all abuzz:”

In line with expanding the city's water supplies, in the mid-1970s, plans were made for Westminster to build another reservoir, this one to be located on Big Pipe Creek in Union Mills.

When the $5 million dollar reservoir was presented to the public, the public rose up in arms saying the city did not need the water and that the project was a waste of ratepayer money.

By September 1976, the project was shelved.

History, of course, has proven that the council was correct in pursuing the project and we would be in a lot different position today if it had been allowed to go forward.

However, fast forwarding to today, the waters of the proposed reservoir will hardly come within a mile of the present day unmarked location of the “pumpkin patch” which now rests in an otherwise nondescript field.

The Carroll County officials who are in a decision making role in this matter are keenly, and personally, interested in preserving the integrity of the site of the “pumpkin papers” – so it is simply baffling as to how this matter got all wound around the axles of misinformation.

Why didn’t the gang of 12 Congressmen contact Carroll County officials before they sent the letter? Every member of Congress who did contact Carroll County officials did NOT send a letter.

Unfortunately another one of the Congressman who has been “had” in this saga was Congressman Roscoe Bartlett who wrote to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on January 3rd, 2007.

Congressman Bartlett wrote in part:

“It is my hope that the Commissioners of Carroll County will value, even treasure, this very special farm, that you will do all in your power to keep it whole, and protect its integrity for this and future generations to study and know.”

And here lies the really bizarre part of the story. Contrary to what is being circulated, the Union Mills reservoir project will add another layer of historic protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” which is already in agricultural preservation -- and preserve the site in perpetuity.

This is a good thing. The county wants a watershed protection easement which will concurrently give the site addition historic protection.

Click Here to See a PDF of a County Map Depicting the Historic Chambers Farm in Relation to the Proposed Union Mills Reservoir

The “lake” area of the Union Mills reservoir will only encompass approximately 325 acres. The balance of the 2,200 acres needed by the County that surround the “lake” are for the purposes of watershed protection. The county commissioners have reported that the county already owns 1500 acres of the needed watershed protection area – to be preserved in perpetuity.

Nevertheless, in situations like the Chambers Pipe Creek Farm, where the county can get a watershed protection easement on the property, rather than purchasing it, this is a good thing.

This watershed protection will add an additional layer of protection for the historic “pumpkin papers” site, which again, is almost a mile from the waterline.

In a response to Congressman Bartlett’s January 3rd, 2007 letter, which he penned in addition to the gang of twelve Congressmen’s January 12, 2007 letter, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners wrote on January 18th, 2007:

“With regard to the Pipe Creek Farm specifically, Carroll County has no intention of negatively impacting the field identified as the location of the famed “pumpkin patch” and has designed the reservoir in a way that minimizes impacts on the balance of the farm. Indeed, the impact anticipated by the planned reservoir… is limited to the northeastern edge of the farm where the Pipe Creek stream crosses the property.

The Pipe Creek farm is already protected from future residential development by easement sold to the Maryland Agricultural land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) in 2001. Carroll County has no interest in acquiring Pipe Creek Farm land for the purpose of constructing the reservoir beyond… the ‘normal pool level.’ We estimate this direct impact on the Pipe Creek farm to equal roughly 15.5 acres. The balance of the farm, approximately 346.5 acres, remains undisturbed and under the full control and ownership of its present owner…”

On a final note, the Union Mills reservoir was needed and should have been built in the 1970s. The need for water in Carroll County has been a basic health, safety, and welfare concern for public officials in Carroll County since the terrible drought of 2002.

To not go forward with the Union Mills reservoir would be an abrogation of one of the basic responsibilities of elected officials to Carroll County’s citizens. NIMBYism and misinformation cannot prevail.

In their January 18th, 2007 letter, the Carroll County Board of commissioners wrote:

“The need for a surface water supply for communities in northern Carroll County is real. We also believe that protecting and preserving nationally recognized sites of historic significance and irreplaceable farmland is equally important to our local, state and national well being.

Our reservoir concept, with minimal impact to the Pipe Creek Farm, satisfies both of these fundamental principles of government: protecting our past while planning for our future.”

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20060926 City of Westminster, Carroll County Maryland Drinking Water Supply Capacity Management Plan

20060926 City of Westminster, Carroll County Maryland Drinking Water Supply Capacity Management Plan

September 26, 2006

City of Westminster

Drinking Water Supply Capacity Management Plan

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Objectives

MDE requirements for Water Supply Capacity Management Plan

Water System Reliable Capacity

Projected Water Demand

Historical Water Supply Investigations

Solutions to Drought of Record Water Deficit

Impact of 2002 Drought On MDE Policies

• As a result of the drought, MDE developed “Final Water Supply Capacity Management Plan (WSCMP) Guidance Manual” published in July 2006

GUIDANCE DOCUMENT WATER SUPPLY CAPACITY MANAGEMENT PLANS

• MDE requires municipalities to complete and submit a WSCMP if they meet one of several triggers:

• Recommends every community over 5,000 gpd prepare a WSCMP

• Water system operating at 80% or more of design capacity

• Request an expansion

• Request modification to Water Appropriation Permit

• Operating subject to a consent order with MDE or EPA

Components of WSCMP Components of WSCMP

A WSCMP requires the following information:

• Reliable capacity of the existing water system components

• Ground Water Supply (11 wells)

• Surface Water Supply (2 water intakes)

• Water treatment plants (2 plants)

• Water distribution system including fire control, etc.

• Existing and future water demand based on population projections and development

• Determination of the water supply excess or deficit

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City of Westminster’s Water System Existing System

• 115-MG Raw Water Reservoir

• Permitted Surface & Ground Water Supplies = 3.48 mgd

• Water Treatment Plant Capacity = 3.25 mgd

• Finished Water Storage – Total 6.9 mgd

Reliable Capacity under “Drought of Record”

• Ground Water = 1.18 mgd (historical records)

• Surface Water = 1.05 mgd (flow mass analysis)

• Total Reliable Capacity = 2.23 mgd

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Historical Water Supply Investigations

• Early 1980s: R.E. Wright performed extensive hydrogeological evaluations

• Initial investigations indicated 12 – 14 million gallons per day of ground water available

• 1985 - 2006:

• Drilled recommended sites with mixed success

• Existing Wells No. 3 – 11 based on recommendations; typically 4 test wells at each site prior to locating water source

• Well 11 in final design stages

• Windemere – no water source located

• Pools Meadow – no water source located

• 1985 – 1987: Investigated Hydes Quarry

• 2002: Medford Quarry Emergency Water Source, Connected Wakefield to main system

• 2003: Hoff Nagana Test Wells (developer’s expense, no water available), Proposed reuse water for golf course irrigation (owner not interested)

• 2004:

• Cranberry WTP Upgrade to improve reliable treatment of poorer water quality

• Evaluation of Raw Water Reservoir Expansion by raising water level

• Evaluation of Raw Water Reservoir through purchase of land

• 2005: Evaluation of Little Pipe Creek

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Water Supply Alternatives

On-Going Solutions

• Medford Quarry (0.5 mgd)

• Design change to pump to existing Cranberry Reservoir

• Reliable capacity = 0.5 mgd

• Anticipated start of construction July 2007

• Expansion of 115 Million Gallon Raw Water Reservoir

• Final negotiations under way

• Currently under evaluation

• Anticipated reliable capacity = 0.4 mgd

• Koontz Creamery

• Currently requesting proposals

• Anticipated reliable capacity = 0.3 mgd

Water Supply Alternatives - Additional Solutions

• Little Pipe Creek

• Currently in permitting phase

• Roops Mills Well Connection

• Currently at 85% of design

• Working through easements

• Anticipated start of construction Spring 2007

• Water Conservation Plan

• Educational programs under development

• Developing public awareness programs

• Water saving incentive programs under development

• Big Pipe Creek

• Submitted water appropriation permit

• Evaluation is underway

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20060517 Tentacle Column Water Wars

Tentacle Column Water Wars

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

My latest column for The Tentacle has been posted: The Water Wars Are Heating Up

“The increasing problems over water availability as a key component of the current warfare over growth are only going to continue to be complex, contentious and difficult.”

Read the rest at: http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=1605

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org

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20060514 Water and Growth Issues in Carroll County

Water and Growth Issues in Carroll County
Kevin Dayhoff
April 3rd, 2006 – May 14th, 2006

Update May 14th, 2006: I wrote the piece pasted below as one of those free-association exercises that writers go through as they are trying to organize and fathom an issue.

Sometimes pieces such as this are refined and become columns. More often than not they could become a “diary entry” if one had the time to collect them properly in a body of work.

This piece merely got lost in my computer filing system, until I reconvened working on this week’s Tentacle column and rediscovered it.

… I’d like to write a piece about the future of “Smart Growth” in Maryland….

Every time I begin such a piece I get distracted by the results of the recent election in Mount Airy and what those results indicate, if anything, for the future of managed growth discussions.

Then I get distracted by water allocation and appropriation issues.

And Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances (APFO) and what that means for the future of managed growth issues.

Or the results of the bitter and contentious discussions over municipal annexation that took place in the recent session of the Maryland General Assembly.

Then there is the study recently released by the University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education about APFOs and Smart Growth issues.

Reality Check Plus (http://www.realitycheckmaryland.org/) is conducting a series of exercises on growth issues…

I cannot ever remember getting ‘writers-block.’ I usually get ‘writer-overwhelmed.’

Meanwhile, as I sort all of this out. Below is a piece I wrote on April 3rd, 2006, as I tried to find some bearing on some of the growth issues in Carroll County.

I hope that most of the text below will get refined and re-appear in a future column. The again, it would appear that some of the words and concepts will get jettisoned like so much of the flotsam and jetsam of contemporary conversations as to how to proceed with growth issues in Maryland.

Meanwhile, it appears below in its unedited stream-of-consciousness first draft.
_________________

Water Issues in Carroll County
Kevin Dayhoff
April 3rd, 2006

Water and wastewater treatment has always been in issue in Carroll County since the first settlers came here in the early 1700s.

And one thing is for sure, water and all the accompanying issues are sure to continue to be complex, contentious and difficult.

All water in Maryland is owned by the state. All uses of water, including safety, distribution, rate setting, use of, discharge into and just anything else that is remotely associated with water is by state permit.

A never-ending alphabet soup of complex byzantine federal, state and local regulations, laws, special commissions, committees and authorities regulates the permits.

Some of which are conflicting and all of which have spawned a cottage industry in Maryland for the full employment act of bureaucrats, lawyers, hydrologists, lawmakers, environmental groups, special interests groups and engineers. All of which, in many cases know a piece of the elephant but haven’t a clue as to what an elephant looks like.

The subject is awash with the pollution of misunderstandings, political rhetoric, outrage, conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Not a week goes by when an article in the newspaper does not appear about secret meetings, intrigue, ethics violations, fraud, misconduct, complicity and conspiracy. It reminds one of a giant gerbil, churning out news items as if it is twirling around in its own wheel of self-importance and inflated delusions of influence.

Ay caramba.

Sadly, the reactionary conversation - often involving unpleasant public hearings, uninformed conspiracy theories, political spinelessness and personal attacks - distorts and polarizes the collective discourse to such an extent that it renders many citizens skeptical about any discussion over growth and development.

Indeed, I have no anxiety over a publication, an advocacy group or a candidate for elected office taking a position; I just hate it when they pretend to be impartial. Or better yet, couch their panderings on the mantel that they are not “no-growthers”, with no plan that has any relationship with rules, regulations or laws – or reality.

In the next 25 years, the population of Maryland will increase by 1.5 million.

Not all 1.5 million need to live in Carroll County. Nevertheless, as much as I would like to live in a Westminster with the simplicity and population density of 1958, that is just not possible.

Usually the news items spewing-forth from this never-ending well of rhetoric result because someone has decided that they are all the sudden an “expert” – read: self-involved know-it-all.

They disagree with a public official who has worked tirelessly for peanuts, away from their family and loved ones, to try and negotiate the byzantine complexity of water laws and regulations for the greater good of a community they love.

It is okay to disagree, confine your disagreement to the issues or increase your dosage.

Then the citizen-experts and the sycophant elected officials in their pocket, leak to the newspaper misleading information that only tells a portion of the story. Many of the newspaper reporters in the area are young, new on the job and it never seems to dawn on them to ask follow-up probing questions or give an issue context and perspective. The articles are short and have become derisively known as “McArticles.”

Many of these newspaper items are written by a reporter or an editor that has all the wisdom or knowledge of a Monday-morning quarterback, who makes ten-times the amount of money the public official makes and works half the hours.

More often than not, the news reporters are like sea gulls, who visit a small town newspaper long enough to knock all the pictures off the wall and soil all over the floor and then leave town for a better job. The public official is often personally and financially invested in the future of his or her community and is hear to stay and clean up the mess.

The folks who produce this fish wrap ought to consider that they need to maintain and honor a public trust to the very same citizens for whom we all serve.

In the words of Dan Rodricks in a similar commentary, these public officials “should be thankful for one small blessing – (they live in Carroll County in 2006,) not Salem 1692. In Salem, they hanged you or crushed you under stone. Here they just humiliate you and raise doubts about your integrity.”

Thankfully, in Carroll County we have some of the state’s leading experts hard at work, to lead us into the future. Folks such as Hampstead town manager Ken Decker; Sykesville town manager Matthew Candland and Sykesville mayor Jonathan Herman; Westminster’s public works experts Tom Beyard and Jeff Glass; Union Bridge mayor Bret Grossnickle, Mount Airy council president John Medve and councilwoman Wendi Peters and Carroll County hydrogeologist Tom Devilbiss and Jim Slater, who runs the county environmental department.

There’s more, but I just wanted to assure you that all is not despair.

Water will never ever be as cheap as it is now. Just in the City of Westminster alone, in order to keep up with recent new federal and state regulations, a new water treatment plant to the tune of $5 million dollars or so, and a upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant may cost as much as $11 million, are in the works. All of this expense will barely add one more drop of additional water capacity.

As a result of recent droughts, the pressure is on the Maryland Department of Environment to scrutinize, to the letter of the law, all water allocation permits for municipalities.

Meanwhile, no one wants any more developments (in the middle of a corn field,) and anti-sprawl public policies dictate that future development occur in a municipality where the various public infrastructures, including water and sewer capacity are located.

Only, the recent interpretations of the water allocation permits, in many cases, will not allocate enough water for municipalities, for their present needs, never mind, any future growth for community employment of economic development.

And, perhaps most importantly, there are huge numbers of the municipal populations that have no interest in any more houses anywhere near their municipality – period.

Having grown up in Carroll County in the 1950s and 60s - when we had quality of life - I could personally care less if not one more house is ever built in Carroll County. But that is simply not a practical or realistic position. So, if growth is inevitable, how can it be managed as well as possible so as to ensure some quality of life?

Having said that, we can’t take away a person’s property rights by plebiscite or angry mob, so if the houses come, I want the developer to donate ball fields, school sites and upgrades in the roads and water and sewer capacities and keep taxes low.

Besides, if you grew up in Carroll County before all the growth and accompanying congestion – and you are still here, you have learned to roll with it and change what you can and learn to deal with what you can’t change.

It has been called to my attention that behind my house in Westminster was once one of the larger and oldest farms in Carroll County. It has long since given way to a housing development with loud mechanical cows that eat the grass with a roar.

More that once I have been asked if this turn of events has made me unhappy.

“Do I miss the cattle and open space?”

To which I enjoy responding: “Yeah, it’s just terrible. I once had fields and cows out back. Now I have friendly neighbors, with children playing and laughing. Folks who throw parties, in which I often feel the need to call – and ask them to turn up the volume when they are playing heavy metal.”

A community is like a box of crayons, there are sharp ones and dull ones, short ones and tall ones, some colors I like and some with names I don’t understand, but they all fit in the box well with a little negotiation. All it takes is a little patience, benefit of doubt, a little humility and humanity.

Let’s come together and agree or disagree graciously as we explore what is best for our greater community and our children. Gracious gets gracious in return. Leave the personal pollution out of it.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.
E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org
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