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WSSC proposes $4.83 billion CIP; officials flag more than 1,000 winter water‑main breaks and major Potomac interceptor repair costs
Summary
WSSC Water told the Transportation and Environment Committee its FY27–32 capital plan totals about $4.83 billion, with FY27 budget $759 million. Officials said winter storms caused more than 1,000 water‑main breaks and outlined a planned Potomac interceptor repair costing $95M–$135M (WSSC share ~30.9%). Committee approved the recommended CIP to advance to the full council.
WSSC Water presented its FY27–32 capital improvement program to the Montgomery County Transportation and Environment Committee on Feb. 26 and urged the council to treat the package as the utility’s baseline for delivering repairs and regulatory projects.
The six‑year program, including information‑only projects, is about $4.83 billion, and the FY27 capital budget is $759 million, WSSC said. "Our 6 year CIP is $4,830,000,000," General Manager Leticia Carolina Powell told the committee. She said roughly one‑third of the six‑year total is tied to mandated work such as Blue Plains obligations, sewer reconstruction and consent‑decree items.
Powell, answering questions about the system’s performance during the recent cold snap, said crews responded to an unusually high number of failures: "it's over 1,000 water main breaks that we've had to deal with this winter season," she said. Powell added that power outages at treatment plants and pump stations further stressed operations and that WSSC has funded facility electrical upgrades in the near term to reduce that vulnerability.
Alan Wong, WSSC’s chief engineer, highlighted master planning and several major projects that will shape future CIPs, including an Anacostia 2 pump station upgrade and continued investment in water‑resource recovery facilities.
Committee members pressed WSSC about the Potomac interceptor break. Powell said DC Water briefed WSSC on updated costs; the range for the planned repair was roughly $95 million to $135 million and she said an emergency repair/mitigation figure of about $20 million had been discussed. "For this particular segment... we would have a 30.9% share in the cost of that work," Powell said, adding that part of WSSC’s share would be suballocated to the City of Rockville.
Powell and staff said routine water‑main reconstruction funding appears in the FY26 and FY27 program and that the utility has requested supplemental state funding and has sought federal assistance mechanisms for additional support.
After discussion, Chair Glass said the committee would advance the recommended WSSC Water CIP without objection. The approval sends the WSSC package forward for consideration in the full council budget review.
What happens next: WSSC staff expect to return with additional detail on the Potomac interceptor emergency and mitigation costs as partners finalize figures; the county council will consider the CIP as part of the broader FY27 budget process.
