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Taneytown commissioners flag water-supply data and ask staff to reconcile county figures
Summary
Discussion of the water resources element focused on data sourcing, a reported shortfall in supply, table citation corrections, tank/impoundment capacity questions and the need to coordinate the plan with the Carroll County water plan.
Commissioners reviewed the draft water-resources section and raised technical questions about supply, storage and system looping identified in the Carroll County master plan.
Staff noted the draft drew from the Carroll County Water and Sewer Master Plan and that they had updated table data to 2023 but had not revised some source citations, which still showed 2020. Commissioners asked that all tables and references be corrected to the most recent source and that staff confirm the numbers behind critical metrics.
A key data point cited from the county plan — that the system has approximately 1.5 days of supply — prompted several requests for clarification about what that figure means for future growth, emergency operations and whether the city should limit new approvals until capacity increases. Commissioners asked about planned storage improvements and whether water storage will rely on gravity-fed tanks or a single impoundment; staff said they would follow up with the utility engineer on tank sizing and operational assumptions.
Participants also asked that the plan identify looping opportunities for mains (to avoid single dead-end mains) and reconcile the number of water accounts versus sewer accounts reported in county data. Staff agreed to coordinate the water section with the county’s updated plan and to correct table source dates and map references.
No formal actions to halt development were taken; commissioners instead asked staff to add language recommending that future growth be balanced with expansion of available capacity and to bring updated, sourced figures to the next meeting.
