Committee backs hookup for a landlocked lot, defers two other sewer-change requests pending tests and a WSSC study

The Transportation and Environment Committee on Nov. 18 considered three requests to change categories in the county’s comprehensive water supply and sewer systems plan and issued three distinct recommendations: approval for a landlocked Sandy Spring parcel seeking public water and sewer, and deferrals for two Potomac-area requests while staff and agencies pursue additional testing or a system-capacity study.

Mr. Levchenko summarized the committee’s options and cautioned that the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has final approval authority for plan amendments. As he told the committee, MDE "has... taken a very literal approach to our policies" in recent years, meaning the state may deny category changes that do not meet explicit plan criteria.

Request 1: Logos Homes (Sandy Spring). Staff described a landlocked lot that would be served via an adjoining property’s pipe-stem connection. Planning Board members argued the parcel resembles adjacent lots that received exceptions for septic failures and said a septic survey could document public-health justification. Committee members generally treated the case as infill and agreed to recommend both public water and sewer for the parcel while noting the request’s unique circumstances and the risk that MDE could still reject it.

Request 2: David Mohebi (Centurion Way). DPS reported it had inspected the property and recommended operational fixes — including replacing an older BAT tank with a conventional 1,500‑gallon septic tank and conducting percolation and water-table testing — but did not document a code-defined, complete failure. Heidi Benham (DPS) explained the difference: "So a failure we kinda have 2 types of failures... you have maybe a temporary failure because, yes, sewage is backing up into the house... And then we have what you might consider a complete failure." Because DPS did not find a documented failure, MDE previously denied a similar request; several committee members favored deferring rather than resubmitting immediately to MDE, allowing the homeowner to do private testing or implement DPS recommendations first.

Request 3: Piney Meeting House Road (Potomac). DPS found a cesspool on the property that discharges to groundwater and judged it a failure that cannot be remedied on site. WSSC staff said the property could only connect to a low‑pressure Palatine sewer system that has engineering and capacity constraints; Tom Hilton (WSSC) urged a one‑time hydraulic study to set an appropriate service area, noting that "low pressure sewer systems are our least preferred method of sewer service." Committee members and staff concluded the reasonable next step is to defer the request pending a WSSC capacity study and clarifying easement or extension requirements.

What’s next: the committee will record its recommendations to the full council (approval for the Sandy Spring request, and deferrals for the Centurion Way and Piney Meeting House Road requests). Staff said the county’s triennial water and sewer plan update next year will be a venue to consider broader policy language that could address precedent concerns, but warned that MDE will likely scrutinize any policy changes for possible spillover effects elsewhere in the county.

The committee adjourned after directing staff to pursue the WSSC study and to document recommended interim steps for applicants.