St. Mary's County staff outline WIP Phase 2 and CWSP updates; county to incorporate METCOM budget and study consultant help

St. Mary's County Department of Land Use and Growth Management staff told the Board of County Commissioners on April 24, 2012 that updating the county's Comprehensive Water and Sewer Plan to reflect the 2010 comprehensive plan and meet Watershed Implementation Plan Phase 2 requirements will be technically complex and time‑sensitive.

In a joint presentation, Phil Shire, staff, Department of Land Use and Growth Management, and Sue Heath, staff, Department of Land Use and Growth Management, outlined proposed CWSP map amendments to match changes in the 2010 comprehensive plan, the need to incorporate METCOM's capital improvement budget into the CWSP per recent state legislative action, and the county's options for handling septic upgrades, sewer connection policy and tier mapping under the so‑called “septic bill” and Plan Maryland.

Why this matters: the CWSP and WIP work determines where public sewer can be provided and which properties may be required to connect. The WIP phase 2 submission to the state is due at the end of June; other statutory and program deadlines push additional work items toward an overall December 31 milestone, and some recommendations would require capital investment or program changes affecting thousands of properties.

Staff described specific map and service‑category changes already proposed to align CWSP service areas with the 2010 plan. Examples…