Sand mound septic systems threaten Montgomery’s Agricultural Reserve
The 90,000-acre Agricultural Reserve depends on residential septic systems for household sewage disposal. Much of the land in the Reserve is not suitable for septic systems, and thus cannot be developed. The County Master Plan recognized this as beneficial to preserving farms and natural areas. But a new technology, sand mound septic systems, threatens the working farms and woodlands of the Reserve. For example, Winchester Homes is proposing a huge development of multi-million dollar homes using sand mounds on 400 acres of pristine farmland, southwest of Poolesville. If this sand mound loophole, originally introduced in the 90s, is not closed, more residential sprawl development will follow.
Put a hold on all new subdivisions proposing to use sand mound septics.
Enforce the Master Plan by making it clear that the use of sand mound sewage technologies should only be used for failing systems, or to support family farms and agricultural activity.
Save Our Communities
Maryland can’t afford the ICC
The Intercounty Connector (ICC) is a proposed 18-mile, six-lane toll highway, which would cost taxpayers $3 billion. An ICC would mean less money for needed improvements in transit and our existing roads. The Maryland State Highway Administration with federal agencies released a study of the ICC in Nov. ’04 showing it would not relieve congestion on the Beltway, I-95, or I-270, and it would result in increased congestion on many of our local roads.
An ICC would severely damage our environment through the loss of priceless parks, forests, wetlands and wildlife habitat. A six-lane highway would degrade water quality, and create more smog pollution which is linked to negative health effects such as asthma.
Please, write, call or fax your elected officials. Ask them to oppose the ICC because it’s current financing plan would take $265 million from the state’s General Fund over the next 5 years, increasing budget pressures on education, school construction, health care and other important programs. For the cost of the ICC we could implement a comprehensive congestion relief program providing more transportation choices for more people. Building the proposed ICC would lead to cuts in a wide range of better transportation solutions. To find find out who your representative in the General Assembly is, visit: http://mdelect.net
To learn more about this topic, visit the web site: www.SaveCommunities.org.
Ask County Council Presidents in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties to act aggressively to create a short- and long-term plan to fix our crumbling sewer collection and pipeline system (Contact info below).
WSSC’s system of pipes, drains, and sewers is deteriorating, allowing sewage overflow to pollute our rivers and streams. In 2004, more than 30 overflows, totally 75,000 gallons of sewage entered our waterways from broken pipes, exposed manholes, and other aging infrastructure.
This sewage pollution is a serious public health threat. Backups have resulted in sewage pollution in people’s basements. And, boaters on the Anacostia River in Maryland have contracted skin infections on their hands and body from coming into contact with the water.
Audubon Naturalist Society and a coalition of other environmental groups and public officials are requesting that WSSC meet with them to begin creating a comprehensive plan to fix and upgrade the system.
Ask Tom Perez, president of the Montgomery County Council, and Tony Knotts, county council chair in Prince George’s County to aggressively move to clean up WSSC’s act.
Tom Perez
Montgomery County Council President
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, Maryland 20850
240-777-7966 [email protected]
Tony Knotts
Prince George’s County Council Chair
14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-3050
(301) 952-3860 [email protected]
Protect streams, forests, and farms in Loudoun Co.
Developers are trying to decide what will happen in Loudon Co. without citizen input. The development industry poured close to half a million dollars into the 2003 elections for Loudoun Board of Supervisors (more). With the help of some of the supervisors they helped elect, these developers are now seeking to add more than 50,000 new houses to the county.
Such rapid development will add more students to our schools, put more traffic on our roads, and stretch the budget to pay for new sewers, roads, fire and rescue service, police, etc. It would translate into higher taxes and/or fewer services for all residents. The environmental impact would also be extreme, destroying thousands of arcres of forests, streams, farms and other natural places. To take action, visit www.loudounsfuture.org.
ANS Pushes for Investigation of Snyder Clearcutting Debacle
By Dolores Milmore, Maryland Conservation Advocate
ANS took a lead role in pushing for local and federal investigations of Redskins’ owner Dan Snyder, who clearcut 50,000 square feet of protected land next to the C & O Canal. It was an Audubon member who first observed the destruction and alerted authorities.
On May 30, a town meeting in Potomac attracted more than 200 people. Representative Chris Van Hollen (District 8) sponsored the meeting and thanked ANS for its role in the clearcutting debacle. Jim Jameison, an attorney and ANS member, who has graciously volunteered to represent ANS, also spoke along with longtime Potomac activist, Ginny Barnes. They made persuasive arguments about why the National Park Service erred in signing off on Synder’s permit to improve his view. NPS alleges that the permit was granted after Synder’s representatives said they had cleared it with County authorities.
Jameison and Barnes urged the creation of a citizens’ task force to look into the issue and make recommendations on how to avoid this type of illegal and environmentally destructive activity in the future. Under Rep. Van Hollen’s auspices, that task force is in formation as the county and federal investigation of this unfortunate incident continues.
A closer look at the National Park Service’s Recent Record
The Dan Snyder clearcutting debacle is just the latest instance of the National Park Service allowing private interests to trump the stated Park Service mission of conserving natural resources and wildlife habitat. Not long ago, NPS was happy to hand over four acres of Glover-Archibold Park to be cleared for the proposed Casey Mayoral mansion. (Eventually, this proposal was withdrawn, but the property was sold to a school.)
NPS also wants to allow Georgetown University to build a two-story, 32,000 square-foot private boathouse on what is now the public gateway to the C& O Canal and Capital Crescent Trail. This “Walmart on the Potomac,” built at the river’s edge in a flood plain and on top of wetlands, would block a 282 foot segment of the tow path and Crescent Trail from the river and dwarf historic boathouse structures nearby. Georgetown and NPS officials admitted as much at a public oversight roundtable chaired by Carol Schwartz on June 22, at which ANS testified.
Sadly, this disturbing pattern has greatly undermined trust in the Park Service. For more information on this issue, visit www.SaveTheCanal.org.
Support limits on mega-buildings in the AG Reserve and Rural Zone
Montgomery County staff from various agencies recently released a report recommending limits on the size of churches and schools in the Ag Reserve and Rural Zones. The county report also seeks limits on imperviousness surfaces, such as parking lots, that lead to degradation of our streams, rivers, and watersheds.
Here are the major recommendations in the report; some hit the mark, while others fall short.
Prohibit the extension of sewer and water into the Ag Reserve zone for large institutions. This is good, but the clause that provides an exception in the cases of failed septic systems is too permissive.
Adopt a 15-20% cap on impervious surfaces. Not good. The report acknowledges that both national and local research has found that water quality within watersheds begins to deteriorate once impervious area exceeds 8%. For this reason, we urge the adoption of an 8% cap on impervious surfaces.
Establish environmental overlay zones with less than 8% imperviousness where a particularly sensitive stream or resource exists. This is not in the report, but should be. Trout streams, for example, cannot be sustained above 4% imperviousness.
Encourage the review of multi-use septic systems to ensure that they are properly planned, built, and maintained. This is good.
Let your voice be heard on these recommendations. Contact the County Council before hearings are scheduled in September.
