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Task force urges quarterly batching and strict rationing as county faces tight sewer allocation
Summary
A county task force recommended reserving portions of current and pending sewer capacity, batching allocation requests quarterly, and limiting residential allocation to roughly 10,000 gpd per year to stretch scarce treatment capacity while the county awaits an MDE rerating.
County staff and a task force convened to update commissioners on Resolution 2512’s moratorium and recommended a new allocation policy to manage a limited supply of sewer allocation on April 14, 2026. Public Facilities Manager Steve Kahune presented the interim findings, saying the Graysonville treatment plant is currently permitted for about 3.0 million gallons per day with roughly 150,000 gallons per day remaining under present permit conditions. Kahune said an MDE rerating under review could add about 300,000 gpd, but federal nitrogen discharge limits—part of Chesapeake Bay TMDL requirements—remain the controlling constraint on long‑term capacity.
The task force proposed reserving newly available capacity by category: set‑asides for residential use, commercial/institutional/government uses, a dedicated pool for remediation of failing septic systems (including a 125,000 gpd reserve to address identified hot spots), and a climate‑resiliency buffer for wet‑weather events. Kahune said the working recommendation is to assign roughly 50,000–100,000 gpd to residential over time, with a suggested annual residential allotment of 10,000 gpd that would be considered quarterly so commissioners could compare competing requests.
"We're trying to ration out a finite supply so it doesn't all disappear in the first wave," Kahune said, explaining that batching requests would allow commissioners to weigh multiple projects at once rather than approve allocations on a rolling, first‑come basis. Chief Sanitary Engineer Matt Lucas and Director of Public Works Alan Quimby added that administrative allocations for small projects (up to 1,750 gpd) would continue under existing practice, while larger projects would be subject to the new quarterly review schedule.
The task force also flagged school capacity and APFO implications, noting Kent Island High School is operating at 100% state‑rated capacity and that growth within municipalities (where county APFO does not apply) could shift school impacts to county systems. The group said it will propose updated student‑generation rates and APFO policy adjustments in a future package.
Next steps included finalizing the comprehensive water and sewer plan, scheduling the draft for planning commission review in June and county commission consideration in July, and returning to the board with refined allocation criteria and draft language for the quarterly application process within about 60 days. Commissioners asked staff to develop defensible, transparent criteria so allocation decisions would be legally defensible and publicly explainable.
