Worcester County planning staff, consultant update Water Resources Element; growth areas could need about 1.9 million gallons of water/wastewater capacity

Worcester County planning staff and a consultant told the Planning Commission that the county’s Water Resources Element (WRE), last updated in 2011, is being revised with new data and scenario modeling to inform 10- and 20-year growth projections.

The consultant said the draft updates use a state web-based scenario tool and county inputs to create 10- and 20-year build-out scenarios; draft calculations show roughly 4,800 people in the planning-period growth areas and an associated need of about 1.9 million gallons of water and wastewater capacity. “This is really the sausage making portion of the comp plan process,” the consultant said, noting the team must finalize inputs before the tool’s outputs are incorporated into the report.

Why it matters: the WRE informs permit-level nutrient budgeting and infrastructure planning. County staff and the consultant said the modeled growth must be allocated by watershed so the county can evaluate nutrient loading, wastewater treatment capacity and where new public water or sewer will be needed.

The draft analysis is a build-out model based on existing zoning and…