Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Drinking Water Pfas topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves Fruitland plan change to add confined wells, PFAS treatment
Summary
The Wicomico County Council on Sept. 2 approved a resolution allowing the City of Fruitland to add two confined supply wells and PFAS treatment to its system, and to abandon existing unconfined wells; the state is funding the work.
The Wicomico County Council on Sept. 2 approved Resolution 129-2025 to amend the county's 2010 water and sewer plan to permit the City of Fruitland to withdraw water from the Minocin Aquifer by installing two additional confined aquifer supply wells, add treatment for emerging contaminants including PFAS, and abandon existing unconfined supply wells.
The change is intended to reduce the system's vulnerability to surface contamination that can affect unconfined aquifers, county environmental staff said. "Think of our geology on the Eastern Shore like a Smith Island cake," Adam Corey, executive director of environmental services, told the council, using the layered-cake analogy to explain how deeper confined aquifers are isolated from recent surface contaminants.
Catherine McAllister of GMB, the city's engineering consultant, said Fruitland's surface and shallow wells show only very low PFAS levels and that the state has fully funded the upgrade. "They don't have anything higher than 6," McAllister said when asked about measured concentrations.
Fruitland will expand its water treatment facility to house the new PFAS treatment equipment, Corey said; the wells themselves will be minimal above-ground piping. Council members had no further questions, and the resolution passed unanimously.
Why it matters: PFAS are persistent chemicals increasingly measured in groundwater; moving production to properly constructed confined wells and adding treatment are standard steps to reduce public exposure. The council record shows the state is funding the Fruitland project and Fruitland officials plan to expand the existing water treatment building to accommodate the work.
Action taken: The council voted to approve Resolution 129-2025 to amend the county water and sewer plan for Fruitland; the record shows the motion passed unanimously.
