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Public speakers urge council to consider sewer‑category exceptions for property owners and churches
Summary
At a public hearing on water/sewer plan amendments, a Potomac property owner asked the council to grant an exception citing high groundwater and utility easements that make septic infeasible and sewer connection cost‑prohibitive; the Spencerville Seventh‑day Adventist Church’s counsel requested a sewer‑category change to enable rebuilding after a 2024 fire.
During a county public hearing on amendments to the comprehensive water and sewer plan, two speakers presented requests for sewer‑category changes.
Yating Zhang, who identified herself as a property owner and applicant for a sewer category change, asked the council to consider an exception, saying conventional septic was not feasible due to a high groundwater table, utility easements that reduce buildable area and proximate WSSC mains; the nearest connection point was about 1,700 feet away and extension costs are high. "Given these factors... I respectfully ask the council to consider whether this case warrants an exception due to the high water table and the extent of utility easements," Zhang said.
Elizabeth Rogers, an attorney with Lerchule and Brewer, spoke on behalf of the Spencerville Seventh‑day Adventist Church and requested a change from S‑6 to S‑1 to allow connection to an abutting sewer main and facilitate reconstruction after a 2024 fire. Rogers said the infrastructure now exists in front of the property and that connecting to public sewer is environmentally preferable to septic.
