Diane Cameron

Staging will help to take the "gamble" out of the White Oak master plan.

Cairo Eubanks    ANS Conservation Intern

In all of my years in White Oak, I have never thought of it as being a “booming place.” It has not been a destination like Downtown Silver Spring. Instead, White Oak is that place where you sit in the car and twiddle your fingers as you wait in traffic to get to Downtown Silver Spring. As a recent graduate of Paint Branch High School and once a resident of White Oak, I can say this last statement very confidently.

The White Oak Science Gateway (WOSG) Master Plan promises to change this perception of White Oak from being a midpoint between destination points, to becoming THE destination point. It is almost awe-inspiring what they have in store for White Oak, but it is also currently very flawed.

There are two major problems that the WOSG does not adequately account for: traffic and pollution. According to the Master Plan, 75% of the residents in White Oak are commuters, as opposed to the average of 69% in Montgomery County. US 29 and MD 650 are some of the most deeply congested routes in all of Montgomery County. Adding 14,000,000 square feet of commercial development and over 8,000 residential units in an area of 4 square miles will not make the traffic situation any better.

All of that high density development could damage our ecosystem greatly. Unless redevelopers go well beyond compliance with current standards, stormwater from the new projects will hollow out deeper gullies into the the Paint Branch Stream Valley Park. This, in turn, will degrade Paint Branch, the Anacostia River, and the Chesapeake Bay.

In a lot of ways, the two issues of traffic and pollution are intertwined, as the excess of traffic will also create air pollution. Air pollution has been linked to asthma as well as lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. The chemicals in car exhaust can trigger asthma. Densely packed traffic will only worsen these problems.

I am not inherently opposed to the White Oak Science Gateway Plan. It would be wonderful to see White Oak as a vibrant place to work, live and shop. White Oak has been seen as lagging behind other residential areas in Montgomery County. That doesn’t have to be the case.

What should the solution be? These problems can be fixed by:  a) restoring staging into this Master Plan, and b) including specific environmental goals along with site-by-site objectives for air, water, and tree canopy protection and restoration.  The current plan is a gamble, with backers believing that problems will resolve themselves over time. However, staging will help to take the gambling out of the building process. There would have to be certain requirements met before one could continue building. Staging provides assurance that adjustments will be made as needed, to the lofty plans that developers propose for White Oak.

 

Civic Leaders to Council: White Oak plan must protect, restore Paint Branch

 

A total of 43 Civic and Environmental leaders just sent this letter (scroll below for the link) to Montgomery County Council President Craig Rice, calling on the Council to insert environmental protection and remediation requirements into the White Oak Science Gateway plan.  The Council's response to recent civic requests along these lines has been: "No worries, we'll deal with the environmental issues later."  

But later is too late to ensure that already-degraded Paint Branch, of the Upper Anacostia, will be helped, not hurt, by the massive development densities called for in this plan.  Numerous state and local laws require integration of land use plans with clean water requirements, including the Water Resources Element (HB 1141), a state law enacted in 2006.  This law requires that local governments in Maryland amend their Comprehensive Plans to include a Water Resources Element that includes water supply, wastewater, and stormwater analyses and changes to planning decisions based on water resource protection needs.  State guidance under this law also requires that land use plans  incorporate results of watershed-specific pollutant loading analyses.  

 

In Montgomery, this Water Resources Element law seems to be honored primarily in the breach. It's an inconvenient truth that the Anacostia - of which Paint Branch is a major tributary - is already beyond its "assimilative capacity" for sediment and other pollutants.  

The Council in preparing to approve the current White Oak Science Gateway Plan tomorrow has yet to confront this truth; we don't know exactly what the up-zoning impacts will be on Paint Branch and the Anacostia.  But, we do know from prior experience with other growth plans that unless site-specific water quality remediation and protection provisions are built into the plan from the beginning, we are likely to learn too late that there's no room for the larger reforestation projects and other stormwater mitigation projects that Anacostia and Paint Branch restoration will require.

The Council's final vote on this plan is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday July 29 at 2 pm in Rockville.

Community Environmental Concerns for the White Oak Science Gateway Master Plan

White Oak Science Gateway Plan needs to integrate Anacostia Restoration measures

The Montgomery County Council today is working on the White Oak Science Gateway (WOSG) Plan.  The Council will take a straw vote on this plan today, and a final vote next Tuesday July 29th.  After reviewing the plan with a focus on its environmental goals and objectives, and communicating with local civic leaders including Carole Ann Barth of North Four Corners Citizens Association,  I found it to be lacking in several important respects, centered on a lack of integration with existing Anacostia restoration mandates and commitments.   

As monitored by DEP's scientists, the health of the middle section of Paint Branch included in this White Oak Science Gateway Plan  (for macroinvertebrate samples taken between 1997 and 2007), is Fair to Poor.  (Audubon Naturalist Society volunteer monitors track the health of two tributaries of Paint Branch- Good Hope and Countryside.)  

As our letter to the Council today notes, there are numerous deeply-incised gullies in the Paint Branch stream valley park south of Tech Road, the biggest of which is dubbed "the Grand Canyon of Paint Branch."  Since the WOSG includes redevelopment plans for the industrial area that sends its runoff crashing into this stream valley woods and on into Paint Branch, this is a huge opportunity for Montgomery County to spur restoration along with redevelopment.  But, this won't happen if the relevant Master Plan doesn't integrate specific restoration objectives, requirements and incentives.

Below is a listing of the nutrient and sediment pollution reduction goals for Paint Branch from the Anacostia Total Maximum Daily Loads established by the Maryland Dept. of the Environment taken from this document.  As you  can see, the nutrient reduction levels of roughly 80% each for nitrogen and phosphorus, and the 85% sediment loading reduction, required by MDE are nothing to sneeze at.  The massive densification the Council is now considering for White Oak - and thus for middle Paint Branch - can in theory contribute to these needed pollution reductions - but only if the WOSG plan contains the vision, goals, objectives and detailed steps necessary to attaining these reductions.  

For instance, redevelopment projects called for in the WOSG plan must include Environmental Site Design plans that go considerably beyond the limited numeric stormwater objectives required by MDE and the County.  They can go beyond compliance through use of deeper green roofs; green walls that evaporate runoff using plants; rainwater harvesting and reuse, extensive bioretention, silva cells (suspended pavement) to enable large shade trees in parking areas and plazas to double as stormwater sponges, and permeable pavements that drain into reforestation areas designed to accept heavy influxes of water.

And, these ReDev projects must be coupled with new conveyance techniques:  innovative designs for infiltration and use of trees and other vegetation in order to convey excessive stormwater flows in a non-erosive manner from the newly redeveloped sites.  A well-known example of innovative stormwater conveyance is the Regenerative Stormwater Conveyances pioneered by Underwood and Associates.  Other innovative conveyance approaches are desirable to round out the toolbox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The restoration challenge is well-documented and the remedy is also well-documented, but it remains to be seen whether the White Oak Science Gateway Plan will confront and accept this challenge as part of its vision, goals, and parcel-by-parcel specific measures.  Until we see this integration with crucial Anacostia restoration challenges and remedies, ANS cannot support the White Oak Science Gateway Plan.

ANS letter to the Montgomery County Council on the White Oak Science Gateway Plan

Wheaton Town Center Project should help to restore the Upper Anacostia, meet needs of small businesses,community.

The following letter was just sent to the Montgomery County Council.  It was signed by 39 people who among them represent 15 local clean water, business, and civic groups.  It reflects months and years of input to the County administration on the Wheaton Town Center project.  The question is:  are local officials listening to us?  I will keep you posted on the outcome of today's joint council committee session.

 

The Honorable Craig Rice, President                                                                                                                   Montgomery County Council                                                                                                                                         100 Maryland Ave.                                                                                                                                                 Rockville, MD 20850

April 28, 2014

Dear Council President Rice and Councilmembers,

Today in a joint meeting of the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy, and Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committees (GO/PHED), Councilmembers will decide whether to approve funding for the Wheaton Redevelopment Program CIP (P150401), generally known as the Wheaton Town Center project.

This project will house the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MRO), several divisions of the Departments of Environmental Protection and Permitting Services, and the Mid-County Regional Services Center; it will also create a long-promised Town Square.  The location of this project is downtown Wheaton on what is now Lot 13, a County-owned parking lot surrounded by locally-owned small businesses. 

This project as now conceived would thwart the principles of the Wheaton Sector Plan and break past promises because it fails to fulfill the Wheaton Sector Plan’s Principles of Diversity; Connectivity; Design; and Environment. We therefore request that you condition the county’s funds for this project on design changes that fulfill the Sector Plan’s principles and the County’s commitments to local residents.

We, the undersigned, are local residents and leaders of civic, business and environmental groups. Many of our members live and shop in downtown Wheaton but oppose the Town Center project current design. The design before you would split up the Town Square into pieces, bisecting it with traffic on Reedie Drive. The design fails to maximize stormwater practices such as ample canopy trees, publicly-accessible green roofs, and bioswales that would capture larger stormwater volumes and help protect the health of nearby Silgo Creek and the Anacostia River. The design also threatens to harm local small businesses by severely limiting their public visibility and accessibility.

Because of these serious flaws in the current design, we request that you require three conditions before approving funds for the Wheaton Town Center Project. These conditions substantially fulfill the criteria set out in the Wheaton Sector Plan’s Principles:

(1) Embodying Green Stormwater Infrastructure. The site will be the County’s Green Flagship that demonstrates Montgomery’s regional environmental leadership and significantly contributes to the restoration of Sligo Creek and the Anacostia.  It will showcase a suite of Environmental Site Design measures and clearly fulfill the Sector Plan’s Environmental Principle that redevelopment will provide better stormwater management, greater tree canopy, and walkable streets.  

(2) Creation of a large, unified Town Square.  To fulfill promises made to local residents, the Town Square must: a) occupy a central location, b) be a single connected area, c) be at least one-third the size of the 76,000 square feet comprising Lot 13, and d) be on Lot 13, rather than forced to straddle Reedie Drive. This was also requested in a letter to the Council on April 21 by six Wheaton-area residents and business owners.                                                                                                                                        

(3)  Supporting and promoting small businesses.  The dozens of existing small, locally-owned businesses that now surround Lot 13 are in jeopardy of being ruined if the current design is approved.  The current design fails to promote, and to provide visibility and accessibility to, existing shops and businesses. If implemented, the current design would result in the loss of local small businesses during the construction phase and would seriously threaten their viability after the project’s completion.

Conditions (2) and (3) partly fulfill the Wheaton Sector Plan’s Diversity, Connectivity and Design principles. The public meetings held for this project thus far have been helpful, but not sufficient. We request a proactive process that will address grassroots public and small business concerns, through redrafting the project’s design to incorporate these conditions.  Thank you for considering our request.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Montgomery County Council approves Ten Mile Creek plan

Today we are celebrating the unanimous vote of the Montgomery County Council, approving the Ten Mile Creek plan which is both a limited Master Plan amendment, and a watershed protection plan.  This is the first time we're aware of in this County, where a master plan coincides with watershed boundaries, enabling better stream and watershed protection to occur.

The Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition issued this press release (link below and full text below that.)

 MontCoCouncil final vote media release Save Ten Mile Crk coalition 4 1 2014 FINAL

Ten Mile Creek plan a big step forward in journey to protect drinking water                                                        

April 1, 2014

The Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition, with 32 member groups including labor, business, faith-based and Latino organizations, hailed the Montgomery County Council’s unanimous vote today approving the Ten Mile Creek Limited Master Plan Amendment.

Diane Cameron, Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) Conservation Director and the Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition Coordinator, called the vote “a victory for citizens and scientists working together with elected officials to protect our last, best creek – Ten Mile Creek.” Cameron noted, “Ten Mile Creek is the cleanest source of water to Little Seneca Reservoir, our only nearby emergency drinking water source in severe droughts serving 4.3 million people in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia.” 

The Ten Mile Creek plan approved by the Council includes imperviousness limits of 6% on new development projects in the most sensitive areas; mandates 80% open space requirements and 200-foot buffers for wetlands, streams and groundwater springs; and spurs reforestation with a goal of 65% forest cover for the entire watershed.

“The Council’s vote is a big step forward in the long journey to protect our region’s drinking water supplies,” said Pablo Blank, founder of Latino Environmental Awareness and Direction (LEAD). The work remaining was noted by Caroline Taylor, Executive Director of Montgomery Countryside Alliance: “There is no rest for the weary. With the latest climate change modeling predicting significant effects on weather patterns, our collective and proactive work to protect our region's source waters is essential.”

Erin Yeagley, Field Representative/Organizer for UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, said, “It’s no small thing that environmental groups and labor banded together and pushed the Council to unanimously enact some protections for Ten Mile Creek.  We keep pushing together like that, and in the end we will get Ten Mile Creek the full protection it needs. We’ve got to continue moving forward on this to protect our drinking water.”

Citizen scientists along with biologists from the County’s Department of Environmental Protection informed the Council’s decision on the Ten Mile Creek plan:  “I had no idea, when we started monitoring Ten Mile Creek 17 years ago, that our data would lead to such an important decision for the County and region,” said Cathy Wiss, ANS Water Quality Monitoring Coordinator.

“In the past, our County’s scientists have monitored stream degradation and used that as evidence to support restoration projects,” said Ginny Barnes, Conservation Montgomery co-founder and an ANS volunteer water quality monitor. “Ten Mile Creek’s high quality water captured scientists’ attention, and moved them to testify to protect the creek from degradation, not repair it after the fact.”

Andy Fellows, Chesapeake Regional Director for Clean Water Action, and his colleague, Brittani Garner, delivered 2,099 hand-written letters asking the Council to protect Ten Mile Creek, collected by canvassers from residents countywide.  Coalition leaders thanked Montgomery County Council President Rice and the entire Council and its staff, and in particular Councilmembers Berliner, Elrich, Riemer, and Andrews, for their thorough, science-based process. 

The Council held seven work sessions and two nights of public hearings in coming to this decision to limit development in the Clarksburg area. District of Columbia Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette each wrote to Council President Rice, urging protection of these drinking water sources.  Montgomery County Executive Leggett committed to forgoing development of County-owned land in Ten Mile Creek.

Gail Dalferes, member of the Safe Healthy Playing Fields Coalition, thanked the Council for “putting the water quality of millions above the wallet quality of a few.”  Sugarloaf Citizens Association Legislative Director Beth Daly said “Congratulations to all for protecting Ten Mile Creek for the generations to come, and for moving closer to the promise of a Town Center for Clarksburg. Let’s hope a new bar is set for preserving and restoring the environment throughout Montgomery County!”

"The Montgomery County Young Democrats are incredibly proud of the County Council's unanimous decision to protect Ten Mile Creek,” said Nik Sushka, the group’s President.  “With this vote, the Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition has won an important victory for smart, sustainable growth in our community. Economic development doesn't have to come at the expense of clean air, land or water. And today, our County ensured it won't." 

Sharon Dooley of Upcounty Action applauded “the victory of rational decisions made on the basis of true scientific findings.  The coalition gave voice to a community of concerned county residents who are too often left out of important environmental decisions.  We, together, spoke up to save this pristine waterway.  Now we and the County Council must be vigilant for its future.”

 Alan Bowser, member of the Coalition’s coordinating team, said “The residents of Montgomery County owe the Council a debt of gratitude for their hard work in developing a science-based solution to challenging environmental and land use issues.  I commend the tireless advocacy of our Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition, thirty member organizations strong, which came together to protect the County's ‘last, best creek!’"   

Dana Beyer, who represents Progressive Neighbors, said, “Today’s unanimous Council vote to protect Ten Mile Creek was a victory for science in the public interest, and an example of the power of the people working together to preserve and enhance our world for the benefit of all.”   Hamza Khan of Muslim Youth of Maryland noted "our community is thankful that so many hardworking citizens could come together to protect our most precious resource: clean water."

Sarah Morse, Executive Director of Little Falls Watershed Alliance, thanked the Council for their work on the Ten Mile Creek plan, and all those “who sent letters on behalf of the environment.  We didn't get full protection, but the current plan with its impervious cover caps, is a big improvement over previous plans which proposed much higher development levels.”

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Gina Ghertner: Mi historia en Ten Mile Creek, el último arroyo limpio (The Last Clean Creek - My Ten Mile Creek Story)

Audubon Naturalist Society is fortunate to count among the ranks of its naturalist teachers for our School Programs, Gina Ghertner, who today is a guest blogger with her story of Ten Mile Creek.

Gina, who hails from Peru, lives in Takoma Park with her husband and three young sons.  Gina connected with Ten Mile Creek both as a naturalist and as a mother.  The photo below is from a January, 2014 field trip to Ten Mile Creek with Gina Ghertner, Pablo Blank and Board members of LEAD - Latino Environmental Awareness and Direction- who are members of the Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition.  (Gina is second from the right in the back row.)

Mi historia en Ten Mile Creek, el último arroyo limpio

Gina Ghertner - Marzo 2014

Soy madre de tres niños y trabajo como naturalista en los programas escolares de Audubon Naturalist Society. Esta mi historia de cómo me encontré con el último arroyo limpio en Montgomery County, Ten Mile Creek, y por qué es tan importante preservarlo. Todo se basa en mi idea que la naturaleza es uno de los mejores legados que podemos dejar a nuestros hijos.

Uno de los programas de Audubon Naturalist Society enseña a los niños sobre el ecosistema de un arroyo, el impacto que tienen nuestras actividades y cómo podemos mitigar tal impacto. Tomamos la temperatura del agua, medimos su acidez,  evaluamos la erosión y buscamos macro invertebrados – pequeñas criaturas cuya presencia indica la calidad del agua. Casi siempre nos topamos con un riachuelo muerto. Igual pasa cuando voy con mis propios hijos a explorar las aguas de Sligo Creek, levantamos piedras buscando algún indicio de vida y poco es lo que encontramos. Rápidamente se sacan los zapatos y meten los pies en el agua para refrescarse. Después de hacerlo, en casa necesitaba una buena limpieza ya que esas aguas traen consigo todo lo que la lluvia lava de la ciudad.

Luego de estas experiencias poco positivas en los arroyos locales, creció un interés en mí por saber más sobre ellos. ¿Qué está pasando con estos ríos? ¿Hasta qué punto están contaminados? ¿Será seguro que mis niños chapoteen en esas aguas? Así que me enlisté como voluntaria en el programa de Monitoreo de Calidad de Agua de Audubon. Como parte del entrenamiento visitamos el arroyo Ten Mile Creek, en Clarksburg. Me contaron que era el último arroyo limpio en nuestro condado. Allí encontramos muchos macro invertebrados. En ese bosque, en plena luz del día, escuchamos un búho cárabo norteamericano (Strix varia). Fue tan emocionante ver todas las pequeñas criaturas que pueden existir en nuestros arroyos cuando sus aguas son saludables. ¡No lo podía creer, haber encontrado esta pequeña gema en  medio de la ciudad!  “Este lugar es especial”- pensé,  “tengo que traer a mis hijos aquí.” Al llegar a casa le prometí a mi hijo mayor Arjan de 6 años que lo llevaría, sus ojos brillando de emoción.

Fue una sorpresa enterarme de los planes de una mega construcción en ese bosque, en la cabecera de cuenca del  Ten Mile Creek. Tal construcción sellará la muerte del arroyo, convirtiéndolo en una imagen del Sligo Creek y otros ríos muertos de la ciudad. ¿Por qué destruir este arroyo, si ya lo hemos hecho con todos los demás? Ten Mile Creek  alimenta el reservorio de agua Little Seneca, el cual es la fuente de reserva de agua  para toda la zona de Washington DC en caso  de emergencia;  contaminarlo así tendrá impacto en la salud y seguridad de todos. Cuando le conté esto a Arjan me miró con sus ojos sorprendidos y me dijo “Mami,  pero si destruyen ese arroyo, nunca poder verlo. Esa frase me llenó de tristeza pues no solo él será privado de disfrutar de la diversidad de sus aguas y sus bosques sino que también muchísimos niños más. ¿Qué tan lejos tendremos que ir ahora para que nuestros hijos disfruten de la naturaleza sin miedo a contaminarse?

No dudo en la importancia del desarrollo. Pero hagamos la decisión correcta. Podemos construir casas y centros comerciales en otro lugar, al fin y al cabo es solo un poco de concreto. Pero no se puede construir otro Ten Mile Creek. Para saber más sobre cómo ayudar en defender a Ten Mile Creek y así preservar este recurso para todos nuestros hijos, comuníquese con los miembros del Consejo del Condado de Montgomery.  http://montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/contact.html

Gina Ghertner

DC, Arlington leaders urge protection of Ten Mile Creek, Little Seneca Reservoir:

This coming Tuesday, April 1, the Montgomery County Council is scheduled to take its final vote on the Ten Mile Creek Limited Master Plan Amendment.  Montgomery County residents, including the thousands who phoned and wrote to their councilmembers requesting full protection of this, our "Last, Best Creek," will be watching.  We need to make sure that the Council re-affirms its unanimous straw vote on this Plan taken on March 4. 

But Montgomery County residents are not the only ones with eyes on this decision.  District of Columbia Council Chair Phil Mendelson, and Arlington County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jay Fisette have each written to Montgomery Council President Craig Rice, urging the Council to protect Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Lake.  

 

Neighboring Jurisdictions Urge Drinking Water Supply Protection

On January 27, 2014, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson wrote to "request that you consider the District of Columbia's perspective - as well as its crucial need for clean drinking water - before increasing the vulnerability of this water supply to urban runoff."

District of Columbia Council Chairman Phil Mendelson 

District of Columbia Council Chair Mendelson ltr on TMC-LSR_1.14

On March 11, 2014, Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette wrote "to request that you consider Arlington County's perspective, as well as the region's need for a reliable and secure water supply, in making your decisions regarding what could have impacts to the capacity of the Little Seneca Reservoir, a key portion of the region's water supply during times of drought."

Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette 

Arlington County Board Chair Fisette ltr on TMC-LSR_ 3.14

 

The Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition stands for full protection.

"Full protection" of Ten Mile Creek is the request of the Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition leaders and its 30 member organizations, including labor (UFCW Local 1994-MCGEO), Latino (LEAD) and civic groups (Montgomery County Civic Federation).  Full protection means not allowing any harm to this most-sensitive creek and maintaining the integrity of Little Seneca Reservoir into which Ten Mile Creek flows.  According to the science, full protection of Ten Mile Creek means not allowing any further urbanization of its watershed. Right now, Ten Mile Creek's watershed is roughly 4% impervious, 96% covered in vegetated, rural land - forests and farms.

Council's plan for Ten Mile Creek is based on extensive scientific testimony

Councilmembers have told us that by law, they are required to enact land use plans that allow for some development, along with natural resource protection and mitigation of harms. So, the Montgomery County Council gave preliminary approval on March 4 for a compromise plan that places a 6% imperviousness cap on the Ten Mile Creek land west of I-270 (Pulte parcel), and imperviousness caps of 15% each for the Miles-Coppola/Peterson, and Egan parcels East of I-270.

Montgomery Council Expected to Approve Ten Mile Creek Plan on April 1.

Under the Ten Mile Creek plan which the Council is expected to finally approve this Tuesday, 80% of these parcels are to remain as open space; and wetlands, small streams, seeps and springs are to have 200-foot forested buffers.  This plan arose after 2 nights of hearings, in which roughly 60 out of 80 speakers testified for strong protection of Ten Mile Creek.  Seven committee worksessions featured detailed testimony of Keith Van Ness of DEP and Professor Matt Baker of UMBC on stream health and imperviousness).  Councilmembers Roger Berliner and Marc Elrich, along with Councilmembers Reimer and Andrews, worked skillfully to ensure that the procedings were based on the science of watershed protection.

The rich biodiversity of Ten Mile Creek - as crucial as that is to scientists and to our quality of life - is not the main reason why many voters, along with elected leaders in neighboring jurisdictions, care so much about this decision.  The main reason our neighbors care is that Ten Mile Creek and the reservoir that it feeds are crucial drinking water supplies that the District, Arlington, Prince George's, and other neighbors - along with Montgomery County - rely upon in times of drought.

Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Lake are Designated Drinking Water Supplies.

The Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) has a chapter (26.08.02.08) that lists the 'designated use' of every river and major tributary in the state. Any waterbody with a "P" by its name is a designated public drinking water supply.  Here is the listing for Little Seneca Creek - of which Ten Mile Creek is a tributary:

(6) Use IV-P:
(a) Little Seneca Creek and all tributaries

Inexplicably, some Montgomery councilmembers have told civic leaders that neither Ten Mile Creek nor Little Seneca Reservoir are "real" drinking water sources.  They've accused the Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition of misleading the public on this issue.  With all due respect, they're wrong on this - we are telling the truth when we quote Maryland code and highlight the fact that Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Lake are designated drinking water supplies.  These are waters that the region's drinking water utilities and elected leaders care deeply about - for public health reasons.

During severe droughts, when the level of the Potomac drops significantly, then Little Seneca Lake - fed by Ten Mile Creek and two other tributaries - serves as our region's only nearby emergency drinking water supply. It takes only a day for Little Seneca Lake's water to reach the mid-Potomac. During the severe droughts of 1999 and 2002, this water formed a significant portion of the Potomac's drinking water supply, after its routine treatment at filtration plants to remove sediment and to disinfect it.

Council's Plan if well-enforced is a Step Forward in a Long Journey.

The letters from Arlington County Board Chair Fisette and DC Council Chairman Mendelson show there is strong support throughout the region for Montgomery County to protect its clean drinking water supplies.  The Ten Mile Creek plan the Council is expected to approve on Tuesday is far from the full protection we are seeking.  Still, this plan is seen by many as highly restrictive of development, and if it is strongly enforced, it can be a big step forward in the long journey to protect Ten Mile Creek, Little Seneca Reservoir, and the Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer, the area's well water source.

Wheaton Redevelopment Update

Today, a number of groups including Audubon Naturalist Society and the Anacostia Watershed Society, wrote and called the Montgomery County Council regarding the Wheaton Redevelopment project.  We asked the Council - now in the throes of 'budget season' - to withhold the funds from this project until such time as there is a General Development Agreement.  

Download Wheaton Redevelopment Project letter to Council ANS+AWS_3 25_14

Such an Agreement needs to spell out the criteria that this project's design will meet in order to satisfy the needs of the community, small businesses, and Anacostia restoration (the site drains to upper Sligo Creek which is part of the Anacostia watershed).

As the ANS-AWS letter points out, (and as I pointed out in my blog post last Thanksgiving), the current concept design for this project is not acceptable because it is not convivial, would obscure the visibility of the site's existing small businesses, and does not have nearly enough green stormwater design elements - things like green roofs and ample shade trees around a public plaza that in turn is surrounded by local small businesses.

The graphic below and appended to our letter to the Council tells this story visually.  The graphic was rendered by landscape architect / artist Daniel Unkle.  Thanks to Kensington Heights activist Danila Sheveiko who crowd-sourced the funding, and to the Montgomery County Stormwater Partners who donated funds to support this graphic production - vital to showing our greener, more community- and small-business-friendly vision.

 

The Council is planning to work on this Wheaton Redevelopment Project in an April 28 committee worksession.  In the meantime, Danila and others will continue to beat the drum for a convivial, sustainable green design for downtown Wheaton.  I'll share more information as this evolves.

Ten Mile Creek- the Angel's in the Details

The Montgomery County Council, in a straw vote on March 4, 2014, gave its unanimous approval to a plan for Ten Mile Creek that is a considerable step forward in the long journey to protect this crucial drinking water supply and treasure of biological diversity.  The final vote is scheduled for April 1. We thank the Council for its hard work in crafting a compromise proposal based upon the science, that seeks to give as much protection as possible to Ten Mile Creek while also allowing some urban development.  

The most vocal supporters for Ten Mile Creek's protection on the Council are Councilmembers Roger Berliner, Marc Elrich, Hans Riemer, and Phil Andrews.  They worked hard during seven joint committee sessions to ensure that this plan is based on science.  The plan is based on a set of imperviousness caps: a 6% cap on the so-called Pulte parcel, and 15% caps for each of the Miles-Coppola/Peterson, and Egan parcels; all would be subject to a minimum open space protection requirement of 80%.

These councilmembers and staff brought to the worksessions DEP Senior Aquatic Biologist Keith Van Ness and UMBC professor Dr. Matt Baker. These experts informed the council about the role of urbanization in causing degradation of high-quality streams, and the role of imperviousness caps and other ways to limit that harm.  This testimony provided  a key part of the foundation for the joint committee's proposed land use plan that won initial approval by the full Council on March 4.

While this plan is not the full protection sought by the Coalition, it's a huge improvement over previous proposals, and will allow only about one-half of the development "pavement footprint," compared with the Planning Board's October 2013 recommendation.

The council will hold a final vote on April 1 on the Ten Mile Creek plan.  The Save Ten Mile Creek Coalition is urging that the council give final approval to this plan along with a set of "teeth" -mandatory protection and mitigation criteria to further limit the damage and preserve the most sensitive headwater areas of Ten Mile Creek.  (A link to the criteria set is at the end of this post.)

The set of mandatory mitigation criteria we seek incudes adequate buffers, non-erosive stormwater conveyance, and a statement that the Prime Objective of this Master Plan Amendment is Water Quality Protection.

The smallest headwaters of Ten Mile Creek - its wetlands, seeps, springs, and ephemeral streams - are crucial to clean drinking water; they must be fully-forested and have wide enough buffers to provide refuge to salamanders and other sensitive species.  They are the drinking water filters that will help to ensure that Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Reservoir supply clean drinking water for generations to come.

Here's a comparison chart showing what the Coalition has requested by way of this mandatory mitigation criteria, alongside the status of County staff efforts on these same items:

Mitigation Criteria Comparison of Coalition Requests with Current status TMC-LMPA

 

Drinking Water Docs Crucial to MontCo Council Decision on Ten Mile Creek

As part of the Audubon Naturalist Society team that's been working for years now (intensively since 2009), to protect Ten Mile Creek and our region's mid-Potomac drinking water supply, I often find myself hunting for key documents and articles.  The mid-Potomac supplies 4.3 million people in the greater DC region with drinking water  --through 3 major water utilities, and has been studied for years.  But it can be difficult to find reports and articles when you need them.

In advance of this coming week's Montgomery County Council hearings on the Ten Mile Creek Limited Master Plan Amendment, I am sharing access to items describing the mid-Potomac drinking water supply, and the roles of Seneca Creek, Little Seneca Reservoir, and Ten Mile Creek in providing this supply.  (For other documents, go to:  savetenmilecreek.com.)

Today's set is focused on drinking water supply; this does not include key items on Ten Mile Creek's role as a biological reference stream; more on that will be provided in the near future. (and is available on http://anshome.org/index.php/nature-programs/water-quality-monitoring)

(This coming week's hearings are on Tuesday December 3rd at 7:30 pm and Thursday December 5th at 7:30 pm, at the County Council 3rd Floor hearing room, 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville.)

Possibly the single most important document in this collection is the 1982 Water Supply Coordination Agreement.  This Agreement commits the major water supply utilities of our region to building and jointly operating Little Seneca Reservoir and the other two reservoirs for the purpose of supplying drinking water to a thirsty region. Below is the signature page for the Water Supply Coordination Agreement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article 3 of the Water Supply Coordination Agreement acknowledges the shared investment in the reservoir system's capital and operating and maintenance costs, and commits the signatories to sharing in the water supplies from this system in times of drought - notwithstanding the relative fiscal contributions each utility has made to this system.  This is true regional cooperation at its finest!

     

 

 

 Further Reading:  Media articles in local news outlets

 

 Menke, Fosler and Hanson (November, 2013) Montgomery County rolls the dice with the region's water system.  Op-Ed in the Washington Post

Gazette, Oct.30, 2013, Piece by reporter Ginny Terhune.

Washington Post, Oct.25, 2013 Piece by reporter Bill Turque.

Potomac Almanac (Oct. 16, 2006) WSSC Faces Tough Crowd.

 

Documents

Water Supply Coordination Agreement (1982) signed by the Executives of the District of Columbia, WSSC, Fairfax County Water Authority, ICPRB, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Washington Aqueduct Division.  Download Water Supply Coordination Agreement_1982_ICPRB web site_Scanned Feb 4 2009

Scott Fosler (10-2013) memo to C.E. Leggett -- Little Seneca Reservoir Study Outline 

Royce Hanson - written testimony on Ten Mile Creek land use plan draft to Pl.Bd. Chair Carrier Download Royce Hanson written testimony for Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Reservoir protection 9.13.13

ICPRB (April, 2013) powerpoint presentation to COG on the CO-OP for mid-Potomac Drought Emergency Supply. April 2013 ICPRB re CO-OP_Potomac drinking water supply drought emergencies

MDE (2002) Source Water Assessment Report for the Mid-Potomac drinking water supply   2002 Source Water Assessment- Exec Summary - Potomac Water Filtration Plant.    

WSSC- Dr. Habibian's testimony to the Mont.Co. Planning Board on the Ten Mile Creek plan. Download Ten-Mile-Crk testimony WSSC Habibian

Link to full document:  http://mde.maryland.gov/programs/Water/Water_Supply/Source_Water_Assessment_Program/Documents/www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/watersupply/SWAPS/Montgomery/Potomac%20Water%20Filtration%20Plant.pdf

WSSC (2003) Feasibility Report on proposed new mid-river Potomac Intake Pipe Wssc potomac river intake pipe project