Two Data Center Provisions had Public Hearings: The hearing room was packed on Tuesday for the first public hearing for ZTA 26-01 that would allow data centers on industrial land, and Bill  4-26 proposing a task force for Data Centers. There was even a waitlist for speakers interested in providing comments. 
The theme repeated throughout the afternoon was that residents welcome regulation of these highly consumptive land uses but that these two bills don't go far enough to protect residents from impacts on health, water resources, and household budgets. 

To remind, Atmosphere's proposal for 5 data centers in Dickerson would use: 
-I Gigawatt of power (=750,000 homes)
-Up to 2 Million Gallons of the Potomac/day
-1.2 Gigawatts of power from many, many dirty diesel generators testing monthly 

Watch Testimony Here (some testified on both in the first section): 

• ​Bill 4-26 CM Glass' bill establishing a task force to study Data Centers  (here are the amendments the MoCo Climate Coalition suggest for this bill)
• ZTA 26-01 - CMs Fani Gonzalez, Balcombe and Sayles ZTA creating a zoning class for data centers. ​
• MCA's Testimony (transcript here) ​

Speakers giving voice to concern came from all parts of the county and all walks of life. Notable speakers included the GMU professor who just released a new study on the serious health impacts of data centers gathered from research in "data center alley" in Northern Virginia. 

Residents spoke to a need to get data center regulations right - calls for strict regulations were paired with a call for a pause or moratorium to host a transparent and inclusive process to craft said regulations.
The lawyers for Atmosphere, the developer of the Dickerson cluster of 5 proposed data centers, were there and argued against a moratorium. "A moratorium will delay and possibly derail the project." We strongly hope the Council will not be pressured to step away from their duty to uphold the public good by a contract purchaser of 110 acres of land in Dickerson who has not gained local or state permits to proceed. 

What's Next?
Written testimony will be accepted until March 5. Click below to write an email to the Council. 

Back in 2024, owner of the former PEPCO coal plant property Terra Energy secured conceptual approval for a cluster of 5 data centers on land zoned heavy industrial along the Potomac River. This conceptual approval was given under zoning meant for "cable communications" because there is no zoning in Montgomery County then or today that governs data centers. Here are the questions we put to the Planning department about how that works.  The conceptual conditional permit review was conducted without legally required components, including site plans.

Residents want, and are entitled to, more information. How much water and power will these plants use? What about noise and air quality from backup generators? 

 We understand that Atmosphere, the developer of a 5 data center complex proposed on 110 acres in Dickerson, has submitted an application to modify the conceptual approval to the Montgomery County Planning Department. The application is not yet available to the public. Here is our best effort to answer the many good questions from the public (with links to far more info) . 

What About Backup Power? 

Data Centers need consistent power 24/7 even when the grid fails. Unfortunately, most of the time this is provided by dirty diesel backup generators that send nitrous oxide and particulate matter into the air. 

According to Atmosphere's own fact sheet - though they claim to be industry innovators, Atmosphere will use diesel generator for backup power. It also says that they will only be turned on "periodically". The industry standard established by the National Fire Protection Association calls for running data center generators monthly to prevent failures and fires when the generators are needed. 

Emergency generators can run up to 100 hours for testing per year and unlimited hours in emergency situations under EPA rules. Recently, the Trump Administration ordered that data centers use exclusively backup generators for winter weather.  

How many generators? The industry rule of thumb is 20% above the full power needs of the facility - so 1.2 Gigawatts of power (which again is over 750,000 homes and enough to power a DeLorean through time in Back to the Future) being turned on for testing monthly. 

Because of Governor Moore's SB474 that passed in 2024, data centers can now use as many generators as they need, having waived the regulations and public oversight required for diesel generators over 2MW.
​
It should also be mentioned that the fact sheet talks about the 12 acre BESS battery backup development adjacent to the Atmosphere project - Atmosphere in fact has no access to this power supply - it is owned and operated separately. 

Can you take one more step and testify? On February 24th ZTA 26-01 will have a public hearing at the Council 1:30pm Click here to sign up to testify (in person or on zoom)

So much happened this week with Data Centers both here in MoCo and across the country that we did a wrap up video.

​ Last week there were two efforts from the Council to create data center regulations. We are pouring through them to draft responses.

In the background is a proposal to site a cluster of data centers on the site of the old Pepco station that will draw all its water for cooling from the Potomac. This proposal has received preliminary approval despite not having a site plan. Frederick County allies are seeking to overturn a decision to allow data centers on 1% of county land with a ballot referendum - a heavy lift that can use your help. 

One bill is an effort from CMs Fani Gonzalez, Balcombe and Sayles (full text here). The other is from CM Glass. Both bills will be introduced this coming Tuesday (agenda here). The County executive intends to hold public meeting in the beginning of February, date to be announced, to discuss proposed regulations.

We will also be tracking the various bills at the state level along with our climate change colleagues. Maryland Matters reports on state efforts here. 

Related: It will be a big election this year - we will surely be asking about data centers - what else should we be asking the candidates in our voter survey? Let us know here. 

Frederick County Data Center Referendum
All Hands On Deck

Perhaps you heard that Frederick County just passed a zoning provision allowing 1% of the county to host Data Centers.
 
But they didn't ask the people. 


Our FredCo allies are launching a data center referendum drive and need all hands on deck to collect thousands of signatures in the next ~50 days.
 
Sign up to volunteer as a signature gatherer and note the upcoming required online trainings. 

The 2026 election will be a big one in Montgomery County and we want to hear from you. Each election season, Montgomery Countryside Alliance puts together a candidate's survey of questions about how we steward our farmland and resources in the county. Then we publish the raw answers to help voters choose our leaders.  What questions should we ask? Please take the survey below to rank some issues and add your own. Many Thanks!

​The Montgomery County Office of Agriculture and the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation hosted a ribbon cutting and tour of the new agricultural "storefront" located at Junior Achievement of Greater Washington's Finance Park in Thomas Edison High School of Technology. Finance Park is Junior Achievement's capstone program for personal financial planning and career exploration. Students visit this realistic on-site community to put into practice what they've learned by developing and committing to a personal budget. Now with the addition of the Agricultural Storefront, thousands of Montgomery County middle school students will learn the importance of ag in their daily lives while exploring local agricultural careers in this immersive and vibrant space showcasing Maryland's robust agriculture.
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Every time someone pays a little extra for a Farm tag, they help advance opportunities for MCPS students’ education in agriculture and our food system. Learn More at MAFE

Meanwhile we understand that the only remaining CASE program (Curriculum for Ag Science Education) is in Bethesda, Sherwood's was cut last year. We need far more Ag Ed opportunities - not less. 

The Latest on The Dickerson Data Centers: 
The bulk of the project space has been sold by Tera Energy to a company called Atmosphere.  MCA and Sugarloaf Citizens Association have written to be added to the persons of record and to urge a public hearing on Atmosphere's water use for a cluster of 5 data centers on the site. 

Background - Data Centers have been proposed for the former site of the PEPCO plant in Dickerson adjacent to the C+O Canal and the Potomac by Terra Energy. Data Centers are a entirely novel and resource hungry land use - using the power of a small city, requiring constant water for cooling severs and often relying on a large amount of diesel generators to provide backup power. All of our concerns - sourced from the community - can be found here.

2 The Zoning Ordinance does not specifically permit the Hearing Examiner to grant a conditional use “general approval”. The Hearing Examiner evaluated the Application, all testimony, and all documents in evidence pursuant to Section 59.7.3.1.E.
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Concern remains:
The number of data centers and their ultimate square footage has been left to future “modifications.” 1 data center or 5 or 10… unknown. Both MCA and our partners at Sugarloaf Citizens’ Association conveyed to the applicant, MC Planning staff and board, and to the Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings (OZAH) our concern that the sketch plan lacks necessary specifics related to the project’s scope and resource requirements. 
To be clear, we maintain that, especially without a regulatory framework to properly guide the data center industry in Montgomery County, providing a “general approval” casts a blind eye to potential cumulative non-inherent impacts of the full scope of the project.  Would a hearing examiner approve a residential apartment project in Bethesda or Silver Spring without knowing the full square footage and occupancy allowing the applicant to come back later with a site plan and details?
MCA and SCA are considering our options, which could be a request for reconsideration or oral argument.  Stay tuned.
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We are so thankful to our District 15 leaders for uplifting our forthcoming well care guide for rural residents of the County, and thankful to the Chesapeake Bay Trust for seed funding for the effort. You can contribute to this project here. 

Our Groundwater project is called the "Good Gift Campaign" because of the gift of the Sole Source Piedmont Aquifer that lies below the surface of the Ag Reserve - the only source of water for the farms and residents of about a third of the county. 
In 2024 we launched the Good Gift Campaign to protect the aquifer as droughts become more frequent and proposed development in the Reserve could easily outpace the aquifer's finite capacity. 
A preliminary survey of residents showed that only 1 in 5 were testing their wells each year for dangerous E. coli and other harmful contaminants as experts suggest. 

To improve well testing, we have begun work on a well care guide - a way to build a culture of protection and stewardship among those reliant on the aquifer. A work group of stakeholders has gathered to craft the guide and our partners at PLENTY magazine are going to turn the informative science and narratives into a cohesive publication reflecting the beauty of the Reserve - as they do in each issue of their magazine. 

We recently secured a mini grant from The Chesapeake Bay Trust to help fund the project and the guide will be published in Summer 2026.

This seed funding has gotten us started - but being the farm advocacy business, we know better than most that a seed needs help to grow. We'd be honored by your tax deductible gift to help this project get flowing. 

The BOE approved the syn turf field at Poolesville High (among several others) but the budget now needs to go to the Council and Executive. Click below to personalize a letter to them urging a veto. 

Because of our fractured rock geology, chemicals on the surface easily leach down to the groundwater below - and getting that contamination out is really hard. 

PFAS - Dangerous and Expensive
The Town of Poolesville saw this several years ago when monitoring showed several municipal wells had high concentrations of PFAS - forever chemicals that cause a myriad of health issues with very little exposure. 

Town staff had a swift and efficient response - taking the wells offline and spending millions to mitigate the problem.

But how do we avoid this problem in the future - we can hope we catch a problem in time and mitigate wells at great expense - or we can control contamination on the surface before it starts,  saving millions and preventing public health issues. 

Athlete injuries and toxicity
Enter the Poolesville High School's quest to replace their regular turf field with an artificial turf field. 
The plastic "blades" are rolled out over an underlayment of "crumb rubber" - think chopped up tires. There are no artificial turfs on the market that do not contain high levels of PFAS. 
 One reason given for the switch to plastic fields is a better playing experience. Professional athletes would disagree. There are documented increased health issues for players of playing on this type of field (infections, high heat - (55 degrees higher than grass), injuries from slipping) that have NFL plyers calling for a return to all grass. The men's world cup has insisted on all grass venues since 2022 while the women's team has sued to get the same treatment. 

Impacts on Farm Economics
PFAS and the other myriad chemicals in artificial turf pose a real risk for local farms. PFAS - being "forever chemicals"- concentrate in the soil and travel through the food chain, becoming higher in plants and then animals who consume that feed. In Maine where PFAS testing of farm products has been done systematically since 2021, some farms are being shuttered and livestock destroyed to prevent products with high PFAS from reaching consumers.  The state is being forced to buy and repurpose these contaminated farms. 

This year SB 931 - the Renewable Energy Certainty Act passed, allowing commercial solar on up to 5% of prime soils in each Maryland county - that is 5000 acres of the Ag Reserve. Chaberton officials were flaunting their influence on this bill when farmer advocates were denied a seat at the table. 

Chaberton Sugarloaf and Ramiere  (not subject to provisions of SB 931) approved by PSC
​In her decision approving both Chaberton solar projects in the Reserve the Public Service Commission judge imposed conditions that were recommended by the Department of Natural Resources’ Power Plant Research Program and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, namely that Chaberton (a) submit its agrivoltaics plan to MoCo at least 30 days before operation, (b) provide an annual report to the MoCo Attorney General and M-NCPPC regarding its agrivoltaics activities and its efforts to encourage continued farming onsite, and  (c) update the plan every five years or whenever a change occurs in the agrivoltaics activity.
 
Those conditions, the judge said, were the “bare minimum,” and she added several more, the most significant of which is this:
 
Chaberton shall obtain financial surety in the form of a bond or letter of credit from a financial institution in an amount not less than $500,000 payable to Montgomery County, in the event the Commission makes a finding that Project Owner failed to ensure continued use of Agrivoltaics as defined by PUA § 7-306.2(a)(2) throughout the life of the Project.
 
Here is the enforcement mechanism:  if Chaberton (or the new owner buying Chaberton out) fails to maintain agrivoltaics on the property – which in this case means sheep grazing (the applicant's only stated viable ag use)– then MoCo, PPRP, “or any other Party to the case” – which includes intervenors (MCA, SCA, MC Farm Bureau, MAP) – may notify “the Project’s Representative who will have 45 days” to advise the Commission how it is dealing with the matter.  Then, presumably, if the Commission finds that the Owner “failed to ensure continued use of agrivoltaics,” the surety (i.e., the company issuing the bond) would be required to pay MoCo the $500,000 bond. 


Intervenors will seek clarity, through the provision for appeal, regarding both the project approval and the enforcement of these conditions including mandatory inspections. Moreover, the penalty, if levied, should be directed to the County's agricultural preservation fund.


Stay tuned.
 ​

​Farm and Civic Groups Issue Joint Statement Calling for Ag-Centered Agritourism
 
As state and Montgomery County officials explore possible new definitions of and regulations on agritourism, four groups representing farmers and county residents call for support of agriculture itself to be clearly prioritized as interest grows in non-farm activities in the County’s highly praised Agriculture Reserve.   
 
The group statement  from the MoCo Farm Bureau, Montgomery Ag Producers, MCA and Sugarloaf Citizens Association comes as two key Montgomery County Council committees (Econ and PHP) meet on November 12 for briefing and discussion  about this issue. The Council’s discussion is, in part, prompted by a detailed 36-page state report issued in October (Statewide Guidance and Analysis: Maryland’s Value-Added Agriculture and Agritourism) that probed emerging challenges to and opportunities for farm operations.      
 
Landowners and farmers statewide have been enhancing revenue for years by building new markets for their products and new activities on their farms. In Montgomery County’s 93,000-acre Ag Reserve, hundreds of thousands of visitors flock every year to farms to buy fresh local produce; attend harvest festivals, educational tours, and equestrian events. Agritourism builds greater understanding about how food is produced and why it is important to support a strong local food system.
Promoting competition for land from distinctly non-agricultural commercial uses does not support the Ag Reserve and the local agricultural economy. Rather, it undermines it, the groups say. 

Topics raised fell under the following categories:
​
Water Resources: 
-Care for the Aquifer, the only source of water for the Reserve with concern expressed about PFAS contamination and hurdles to testing. 

Farmer Support: 
-How we connect youth with farming as a career and increase ag literacy among young people (Maryland Ag Education Foundation is one solution supported by buying Ag Tags) 
-Chesapeake Fibershed is connecting farmers in the region and has upcoming local events.
- Connect new farmers with support - an incubator floated as a solution. 
-Asking the county to step up to fill gaps in food bank procurement of local food crops so food banks can meet the needs of the county's diverse population and support local farms at the same time. 
 
The Future of the Ag Reserve: 
- Investment from outside the Reserve is resulting in uses unbalanced with active farming. Zoning needs to be clear and enforced.
-An increasing number and increasing scale of alcohol venues have lead to concerns about impacts ranging from safety on roads to impervious surfaces and groundwater over-use. 
- More support is needed for table crop production to meet the Reserve's purpose with a national food system under stress and the added impacts of tariffs.  
- A better alignment toward a "responsibility" of Reserve residents to be involved in Agriculture. 

MCA staff put in a plug for Land Link Montgomery, Good Gift Groundwater Campaign and ReLeaf native forest replating programs, along with PLENTY magazine.

Thanks to Bally Cliff for hosting us and all of you for providing such a delicious spread of potluck goodies. Thanks to  County Executive Elrich and Councilmember Balcombe for attending.

Photos from our Facebook page including photos from the county photographer.

On September 25 the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the Clarksburg Sector Gateway Plan. In the build out of Clarksburg residents have had to advocate for carefully balancing development and the fragile watershed around Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Reservoir - the County's backup water supply for 4.2 Million in the region. This area is known as the Clarksburg Special Protection Area (or SPA) and it has taken advocates like you to be sure that protection for forests and water quality in this special area are centered in decisions about development. 
The County Executive weighed in here. 

​Please see this action alert from our partners at Friends of Ten Mile Creek for more. 
Here is the testimony we signed on to with our partners 

​Hyperscale data center projects are already in planning or are underway in Frederick, Prince George’s, and Montgomery Counties. There is an urgent need to bring together and amplify voices across the state to measure, learn and understand the impact of the industry, how local governments are coping and ensure that community’s benefit.

There is a lot we don't know - a few things we do know about the needs of data centers: 

• Many thousands of gallons of potable water to cool equipment 24/7
• Large areas of land to site warehouses - often taking farmland and open space
• Each data center has the constant, round the clock power needs of a small city - ratepayers can expect to see increases up to 70% in their bills in the next 5 years.
• When power can't come from the grid - that constant power comes from high emissions diesel generators.

In Montgomery County, a data center site along the C+O Canal has been given preliminary approval without providing data on how many data centers will be at the site, much less river water or electricity used for these highly consumptive uses. 

Today, six organizations from across Maryland have joined together to form
the Maryland Data Centers Analysis Group.
MCA joins: 
Envision Frederick County
The Sugarloaf Alliance
The Fellowship of Scientists and Engineers
Sustainable Hyattsville
The Tri-County Coalition 

Maryland state Sen. Karen Lewis Young (D-District 3) sponsored a bill during the 2025 legislative session that would have created a study about the economic, energy and environmental consequences of data center development in the state.
That bill was vetoed by Gov. Wes Moore, who cited financial strain on Maryland and uncertainty about receiving funding from the federal government as his reasons for doing so. 

We are honored to join our collaborators from across the region to gather the facts around this brand new, unregulated land use to balance it with important commitments to farms, forests, water and the climate. 

Press release
Frederick News Post Coverage

With the passage of SB931 5% of each Maryland county's protected areas (farmland, stream buffers and forests) are now prioritized for solar production. That comes out to about 100,000 acres statewide. 
Here in the Ag Reserve the number looks to be around 5,000 acres.

In 2021, a workgroup of stakeholders - solar industry reps, farmers, conservationists convened to craft ZTA 20-01 that balanced the scales - allowing solar on Reserve lands for the first time but keeping it off prime soils (class 1+2). This kept our very best soils for active ag within the boundaries of the nation's foremost farmland protection effort - it just makes sense. 

The industry then and now are saying that this ZTA ostensibly killed solar in Montgomery County. Untrue. Allow us to explain: 

1. 3000+ acres of Ag Reserve land 2 Miles from transmission lines are available for solar under ZTA 20-01 
In the GIS mapping done in support of the ZTA, county planners found that there are 445 properties totaling 4462 acres that meet all of the ZTA's standards (not prime soils, unforested, no steep slopes, no stream buffers). At the time, County leaders looking to open the Reserve without conditions were looking for a 1800 acre cap on solar in the Reserve. Here is the map of soils and screenshot shared in the Ag Advisory Committee by Office of Agriculture in 2021 listing the GIS planners and their findings: 

When you zoom out further from substations there are a total of 4,462 acres available in 5acre+ parcels on 445 properties. 

2. Large rooftops are plentiful for Solar throughout the County
The GIS data also shows that large rooftops (think warehouses and retail space) are plentiful in the County - offering up another 1600+ acres of solar production as shown in the table below from Planning. Not listed here - another 1,415 Acres underneath PEPCO owned transmission lines - areas already cleared of trees and not being farmed. Source: MoCo Planning Staff

4. Large parking garages and parking lots are plentiful throughout the county
 6,478.15 acres of surface parking lots and 102 acres of parking garages exist in the county. Of these the County itself controls 770 acres of parking lots and 17 acres of parking garages. Dig into the numbers from planning here Solar parking lot canopies are an emerging way to deploy solar that keeps cars cool while harnessing what would otherwise be a heat island. Below: The solar canopy at the Gaithersburg Public Service Office - powering the equivalent of 662 homes per year. This is one of many solar installations on county property totaling 7.6 MW of solar installed by the County with more planned. 

3. Private Solar is booming in Montgomery County - we have the second highest total solar output in the state (behind PG) at 271 MW. MoCo has also made strides to make solar easier to get - becoming the only municipality in the country to achieve a SolSmart designation from the Department of Energy. Below - a map showing 2020 levels of residential and commercial solar from Montgomery County DEP

We are working with Farmers for Rural Maryland (FARM) of the Eastern Shore to gather as many signatures as possible. The process is rather lumpy, to add your name to this effort please carefully complete the following steps: 
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1. READ THE DIRECTIONS FIRST - your signature could be discounted for any number of reasons. It needs to be printed, signed properly and sent to our friends in Centerville (ideally popping in the mail by Tuesday by 5) to make the deadline.
The pages you must print front and back are here

2. Sign Properly and Gather Signatures from Friends/Neighbors properly - again, please read the instructions.

3. Send it -quick! (if you don't sign in person) Refer to the instructions for the address and include your phone number in any mailings you send to FARM if they have questions.  At this point - visit Lewis/ Farm and Home to sign in person.

That address is: QACA/FALSTAD, P.O. Box 157, Centreville, MD 21617


4. Let us know you took action.  With how low tech this process is, we have no way of tracking how we are doing toward the goal of 20k signatures. Once you send your signatures, take one minute to let us know right here. 

Where to even begin with this post from Chaberton Energy? This is the same company seeking to end run the Montgomery County master plan and site solar on the Ag Reserve's very best soils. To call it tone deaf is generous. 

The Hamilton reference is apt - "But no one else was in the room where it happened..." the solar companies were there, while civic groups representing environmental concerns and Maryland's #1 industry - Agriculture - could not even get a meeting with sponsors. The lawyer for one Maryland Solar company was there because he is also the Senate President and had a major hand in crafting this bill. 

SB931, The Renewable Energy act does not "protect" agricultural lands - but instead prioritizes solar on 100,000 acres (5% of each County's priority preservation areas) of land that taxpayers paid for to be preserved in perpetuity. This includes around 5000 acres of Montgomery County's Ag Reserve. 

And it's not just the 100k acres. The extremely high prices promised by solar companies (including Chaberton, see below) are sending farmland prices even further out of reach for farmers that want to grow food and fiber. 

In the Ag Reserve - an acre goes for around $200/year. These companies are offering 10 and 20 times that. Now we hear companies are offering flat rate bonuses on top of $10,000. The diverse land seekers looking for land through our Land Link program are not offering a bonus to lease land to grow local food. Established Farmers in the Ag Reserve are already loosing leases to solar developments. 

One day remains to participate in a long shot referendum effort to get this bill in front of the voters. Click here to learn more and take part. 

 Thanks to all that joined or watched the Poolesville public hearing on the water supply. The full recording of the hearing is above. 


The Town contractor’s 45 minute presentation highlighted differences in process and
conclusions with the research/reporting conducted by hydrogeologist Patrick Hammond. There are consequential differences in their respective methodology and emphasis as to how various factors affect groundwater availability in Poolesville. Mr. Hammond’s 15 minute power point presentation slides  provides a history of the town’s municipal water supply and a summary of his report  without commentary about the town contractor’s data and methodology. He did, however, provide some responses to the contractor’s presentation after the public meeting. A summary of those points with context follows.

Climate Change: a key difference in methodology
Background: The primary goal of the MCA groundwater study  prepared by
hydrogeologist Pat Hammond is to employ current modeling/data to provide best information as to guide how collaboratively steward the sole source groundwater aquifer that supplies water to over a third of the county’s landmass – Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve, rural municipalities and edge communities. Mr. Hammond’s Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) study “The Effect of Climate Change on Maryland’s Water Supplies” was the catalyst for our more locally focused study utilizing the solid water system record keeping of the town of Poolesville. Mr. Hammond’s published MDE study cites the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin’s modeling on how climate change will affect regional water supplies.
The town hydrogeologist noted in her presentation that climate change is “complicated” and that the  "MDE is not requiring municipalities to consider climate change in water management at this time due to uncertainty.” This contention, without reference documentation, seems at odds with State reports/literature.
Here are relevant MDE resources regarding recommendations for safeguarding water supplies to address climate change:
Here are relevant MDE resources regarding recommendations for safeguarding water supplies to address climate change. Here are the resources from UMD Extension. 

The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) has conducted extensive modeling that forecasts climate change effect on regional water supplies. The WSSC has been working to put failsafe plans in effect to address these coming changes and any potential for water system disruption that will challenge their ability to meet water demand at various times. See press event from 2024
 
To be clear, while there are some data analysis differences between the two hydrogeologists, the primary substantive difference hinges on how we should account for the effects of a changing climate on water availability/well yields. Mr. Hammond notes that the town contractor in their reporting factored in an increase in future water use due to climate change based on 30 days of above 100 degree temperatures annually but then the town contractor used only 5 days of above 100 degree temperatures when analyzing the effect on well yields. Mr. Hammond’s report factors in 30 days of above 100 degree temperatures in the future to determine the effect (evapotranspiration etc.) on well yields. If we are to employ no regrets land use planning and decision making, this issue matters.


The Degradation of Horsepen Branch
Hydrogeologist Pat Hammond has raised important concerns that the Town’s continued reliance on a historically granted emergency overallocation (more than their permit allowed in a single watershed) to supply the population (at that point in time) with water has resulted in severe impairment of Horsepen Branch (flows south of Poolesville to the Potomac). Poolesville’s contractor did not address this issue. To date, the Town has not addressed the stream degradation or their continued reliance on the emergency over allocation as relates to future water consumption due to growth.


A town resident put it well in his questions after the presentation - if there is disagreement in the science and the Town's models say everything is fine and Mr. Hammond's models say we need to act quickly  to avert serious issues- residents trust their leaders to take the prudent and conservative path that ensures resources remain abundant in the future. That path requires action.
For residents on wells - our recent webinar on well care is a great place to start learning about the aquifer and how to steward your own well for the future. 

Please plan to join your neighbors at an important informational meeting on the future of the Poolesville Sole Source Aquifer, the only viable water source for the town. 

Poolesville Town Hall
April 21, 7pm 

From the Town site: 
The Commissioners of Poolesville will be holding an informational hearing to discuss water capacity.
Hydrologists Kathy Mihm and Pat Hammond along with Montgomery County Alliance’s Executor (sic) Director Caroline Taylor will present and discuss recent water capacity studies.
The studies, derived from historical pump data, aquifer models and specific scientific calculations, will be discussed along with solutions for ensuring an adequate water supply for the future.
The informational hearing will be held on April 21, 2025, 7:00pm, at Townhall. It will also be available on YouTube, both live stream and archived for later viewing.


YouTube Channel

The background - in 2023 MCA funded a study into the future yields of the town's water supply undertaken by seasoned state hydrogeologist Pat Hammond. The results of this study show that current overallocation of water to the town have had an impact on sensitive Horse Penn Branch. Looking ahead, droughts are forecasted to be more frequent and more severe. Seasonal conservation measures will keep the currently sized town population within allocated water limits but new development in the town will necessitate increased conservation measures throughout the year and may cause some wells to dry up. 

 The study results have informed MCA's Good Gift Groundwater Project seeking to raise awareness about the aquifers under our feet. Recently, the project hosted a webinar all about well care to educate homeowners. 

Here is why MCA and our partners oppose these arrays - they are attempting to override the careful policies crafted to balance solar with farming in the Ag Reserve:

Please join us either on zoom or in person for this hearing:

April 14, 2025 6:30 PM

Upper Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Department

19801 Beallsville Road, Beallsville, MD (in person) or on Zoom 


Here's How You Can Help:

• Show up! - And Bring a Friend 
  
  
• Choose to speak at the hearing (coordinate with us to be sure all topics are covered - [email protected]) 
  
  
• Can't make it? - Write in using the PSC portal (open until April  17) here and please reference Case No. 9733 (hit a snag -> [email protected])

Much more info in our recent newsletter on the previous hearing here.

More: We are working to bring balance to a bill at the General Assembly that will open virtually all forests and farms to the siting of industrial scale solar - can you take a moment to personalize a letter to your representatives. 
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