Hampstead commission approves draft County Water Resources Element for state review

The Hampstead Planning and Zoning Commission on July 23 voted to send the County'wide 2024 Water Resources Element draft to state agencies for the required 60-day review, following a presentation by Brenda Denny of the Carroll County Planning and Land Management.

Denny told commissioners the plan'which county staff produced with nine municipalities'updates how water, wastewater and stormwater will be measured and managed for future growth. "The purpose of this plan is just to make sure that all of the water resources'which is water, wastewater, stormwater'are considered when you're looking at planned growth in your comprehensive plan," Denny said.

The draft frames supply and treatment capacity using Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) methodology, which Denny said uses conservative assumptions such as adding 10% for drought demand and planning for the loss of the highest-producing well. That approach produced results that look large on paper but, she said, are intended to show worst-case resilience. "It's a very, very conservative number," Denny said.

Why it matters: the document is a required planning element that must be found consistent with municipal comprehensive plans before countywide adoption. It identifies where municipalities may need new wells, treatment upgrades or system interconnections and lists countywide and local strategies such as reducing inflow and infiltration at sewer systems, developing additional wells where needed, pursuing water reuse and preparing drought-management plans.

Key facts and immediate next steps - Commissioners voted to forward the draft to state agencies for a 60-day review; the motion passed by voice vote. The commission recorded no formal tally. - County staff plans a joint public hearing with all nine municipal planning commissions; the county will incorporate municipal feedback and state comments before recommending adoption to the county council. - Denny said some plan inputs are based on service-area and zoning data from 2022–2023 and that the plan uses a long-range category municipalities added beyond MDE categories.

Substantive details discussed - Capacity methodology: MDE'required planning adds 10% for drought and removes the highest-producing well from available capacity to ensure redundancy; that conservative methodology inflates deficits compared with local master-plan estimates. Denny noted the difference in methods and said the draft includes explanatory language and recommendations to coordinate with MDE to reconcile methods where appropriate. - Local status: for most municipalities the draft indicates additional water would be needed if projected buildout occurs; Freedom was described as having surplus water under the draft assumptions. Denny said many yellow-coded shortfalls in the plan could be addressed by drilling additional wells or similar measures, while a few systems flagged red may require larger fixes. - Wastewater constraints: treatment capacity limits how much additional water can be supplied because plants must treat returned wastewater. Denny highlighted inflow and infiltration reductions and targeted plant fixes as often the most cost-effective ways to regain capacity. - Emerging contaminants and other regulatory drivers: the draft calls for monitoring and planning for PFAS and other contaminants, salt-management plans tied to winter road treatment, potential lithium standards, and temperature limits on plant discharges to protect aquatic species.

Discussion and clarifications - Commissioners asked whether adopting the draft binds the town to the action items. Denny and staff clarified the document contains recommendations, not mandatory commitments, and that language in the draft explicitly states recommendations are not automatic obligations. - On treatment for emerging contaminants, county utilities staff said the planned centralized treatment approach will make it easier to add filters or other treatment at a single plant rather than at multiple small pump houses.

Authorities referenced - Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) planning and certification methodology (referenced by Brenda Denny and county staff) - State-required 60-day interagency review process for water resources elements (referenced by Brenda Denny)

Actions - Motion: approve sending the County 2024 Water Resources Element draft to state agencies for the required 60-day review. Mover/second: not recorded in transcript. Outcome: approved (voice vote).

What remains: staff will compile municipal comments, address state agency review comments after the 60-day review, hold a joint public hearing with the nine municipal planning commissions, and return a revised draft and recommendation to the county council for potential adoption. The commission'in voting to send the draft to state reviewers'began the statutorily required interagency review process.