Town of Trapp defends Paris Foods sewer hookup after mapping error surfaced

Lindsay Ryan, representing the Town of Trapp, told the Talbot County Council that Paris Foods was connected to Trapp's wastewater system in 2021 after the town's consulting engineer reviewed monitoring and laboratory data and concluded the plant could treat the discharge. The town later learned the county comprehensive water and sewer map designated the parcel as “unprogrammed” after mapping changes were made and has since applied to amend the map.

The town’s engineer sampled Paris Foods’ effluent over several months and concluded the waste strength fell “within the typical domestic influent wastewater strength” and that Trapp had available capacity, Ryan said. The town entered an agreement in August 2021 to provide 16 equivalent dwelling units (EDUs) to the Paris Foods property; connection and service occurred between August and October 2021, she said.

Why it matters: County mapping determines whether a parcel is eligible for connection under the comprehensive water and sewer plan. Council members raised questions about how the connection moved forward despite later findings that the parcel had been unprogrammed on updated county maps, and about whether Paris Foods had contributed to a rise in discharge parameters cited in a Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) letter.

Ryan said the maps attached to the county’s February plan showed Paris Foods as eligible (S1/W1) at the time Trapp approved the connection, and that the mapping inconsistencies did not come to the town’s attention until November 2021. "At that point we had already submitted the application and it just didn't come on our radar," she said. Ryan added the town submitted a letter to the county in December 2024 and filed a comprehensive water and sewer plan application in January 2025 to reclassify the Paris Foods parcel as S1.

Council members pressed for detail on an MDE letter that raised concerns about higher discharge parameters. Ryan said MDE had signaled there could be contaminants of concern and suggested industrial wastewater standards the town could adopt; the town’s engineer sampled and, Ryan said, determined the rise was not coming from Paris Foods. "We have done samplings and determined that the rise in the discharge parameters was not coming from Paris Foods," she said.

Council members also asked whether the town would now require onsite pretreatment for Paris Foods. Ryan said the town consulted with its engineer and does not believe pretreatment is necessary at this time.

Council members asked the town to check whether any other properties were connected during the period when the county maps were erroneous and to provide the record. Ryan said the town would check its records and follow up with the county. She also said Trapp and the county would work on better communications so both jurisdictions are aware of future connections.

What the town said they did: the town’s consulting engineer reviewed Paris Foods’ sampling and monitoring reports for about six months, advised the town it could treat the discharge, and Trapp entered agreements in 2021 to provide 16 EDUs and to allow connection. After press coverage identifying the map discrepancy, the town submitted a letter to the county in December 2024 and filed an application to amend the comprehensive water and sewer map in January 2025.

What remains unclear from the meeting: the county council did not vote on the Paris Foods map amendment at this meeting; several council members requested the town provide records showing whether other connections occurred during the period when county maps were later found to be erroneous. The exact date the Paris Foods service was turned on was offered as between August and October 2021 and the town said it could provide the precise date if requested.

Ending: Council members said they appreciated the town’s willingness to follow up and asked county and municipal staff to develop a method to notify each other about future hookups so the county’s comprehensive water and sewer plan and municipal actions remain aligned.