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News

Water Stewards Sue Trump Administration Over Unlawful Potomac Closures for Golf

9/21/2018

 
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Susan Petro: Riley's Lock
Keeping access to the Potomac River open is critically important to the millions of people who live throughout this iconic watershed," said Caroline Taylor, Executive Director of the Montgomery Countryside Alliance. "We applaud this effort to require the Trump Administration to conduct an open public process to ensure the Potomac River community's voice is heard."
Perhaps you'll remember last summer when the US Coast Guard had issued a final interim rule that allows the full width of the Potomac River (and access at highly popular Riley's Lock in Montgomery County) and a length of two miles to be closed at any time due to use of Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, VA. The Coast Guard was being deployed to break up campers learning to kayak while the President was golfing. Coast Guard staff attempted to reroute novice paddlers through treacherous waters to stay out of closed areas. Commenters about the rule noted that in 2015, 465 trees were cut down along the golf course shore line to "provide a better view of the river" and illogically, "reduce erosion".  
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The Closure Area - from Canoe Cruisers
Homeland Security has had over  a year to respond to the barrage of complaints that this rule brought and the river was still closed without notice 32 times. MCA has supported the Canoe Cruisers Association of Greater Washington in a lawsuit that attempts to overturn the open ended rule that has kept 2 miles of the Nation's river off limits. 

Press:
Washington Post
WAMU
​Huffington Post
​USA Today

UPDATE: Council Votes to protect Reserve from Sewer Sprawl- Thank your Councilmembers!

3/31/2018

 
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Protecting the Ag Reserve and rural transition zones from sprawl helps maintain water quality
​Update - May 1 

The Council is still working on the details of the County's Ten Year Water and Sewer Plan. They are making sure that home owners with septic systems in rural residential areas have all the tools needed should they experience or clearly be at risk of septic failure. Important stuff.

Council will take this up again in June. Stay tuned...

The Montgomery County Council today voted 5-4 in favor of the Elrich Amendment to the Water and Sewer Plan.

This is good news for our rural communities and Ag Reserve. The Elrich Amendment is aimed at preventing unnecessary sewer sprawl, which threatens our clean stream areas with higher-density urban development, sewage spills, leaky sewer pipes, and stormwater pollution. Cheers to those who took action and our partners including West Montgomery Civic Asso., Conservation Montgomery, MC Sierra Club, Potomac Conservancy, Audubon Naturalist Society. 🌟Our core team: Diane Cameron, Ken Bawer and Susanne Lee. The best! 


Read More

Water Preservation Panel Discussion Dec. 3

11/9/2017

 
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​MCA is partnering with Sierra Club and other partner groups to host a panel discussion addressing water preservation and planning in Montgomery County on December 3, 3-5pm in the MC Executive Office Building Auditorium/Cafeteria in Rockville. 


The panel will:
  • Begin a conversation about the impacts of development and stormwater runoff on the public water supply;
  • Address how we can make growth smart enough to protect the public water supply;
  • Consider proactive strategies to protect and restore watersheds upstream from area water intakes that are within the purview of Montgomery County; and
  • Discuss implications for costs of water treatment and future water rates.


Scott Fosler (MCA Board member) is the keynote speaker – Scott is the current mayor of Chevy Chase and, among other achievements, is a past member and president of the County Council, when he was instrumental in the plan for the Little Seneca Reservoir as part of a two-reservoir emergency backup water supply for the National Capital Region. The plan, which was developed in response to a major drought that occurred in the 1960s, and as an alternative to a plan by the US Army Corps of Engineers for 16 reservoirs, resulted in the 1982 Water Supply Coordination Agreement among area utilities and the ICPRB, which remains in effect. The panel will be moderated by Caroline Taylor, executive director of Montgomery Countryside Alliance. We are also inviting representatives from WSSC and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin to join us on the panel.

Candidates for Montgomery County Council have been invited to provide comment on their plan for meeting the challenge of water resource protection.

Read up on our coverage of water resources "Protecting Regional Water Resources, Now more than Ever"
RSVP

October/November Issues – Plentiful, successful, ongoing, and requiring your action

11/4/2017

 
Having finished a schedule thick with wonderful events in September and October including Farm to Fork, Ride for the Reserve, and the 2017 Royce Hanson Award​, we thought we might have a little down time for some administrivia. No such thing! 

Land Use Planning – Transportation: A forward thinking resolution
 
We added our voice and effort in support of a sound County Council Resolution ensuring that upcounty land use planning maintains balance with current and approved transportation infrastructure. First rule: When in a hole, stop digging.  Happy to report that the resolution passed 7-2. ​Hats off to the TAME Coalition and County Councilmembers for getting this done.


Read More

Protecting Regional Water Resources: Now More Than Ever

4/25/2017

 
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Dry spring soil at Mckee Beshers - 2012
Update: The ICPRB (Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin has just released a new comprehensive plan for the region's water needs in the coming decades. 
Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail 
Did you know that the DC region is currently operating without a regional water supply plan? 
 The Little Seneca Reservoir and many other water projects were built as part of a 50-year plan for water supply to the DC metro area, a plan which expired in 2010. We need a water supply plan for the next 50 years that considers diminishing water supplies in the context of an increasing urban population as well as the increasing severity of droughts. Read on for how climate change makes the need for careful planning even more dire. On our 2017 work plan is a collaborative effort to push for a plan for our precious water resources for the next 50 years and beyond. Help us make that happen with your gift today. 

 What effect will climate change have on the Washington region’s water resources?

According to the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin – Plenty.

Their report indicates that by 2040 climate change could cut stream flows by as much as 35% on an annual average.Science should inform the region’s planning and goals of resource protection.

AP Coverage

​
Some more resources about our coming water crisis: 

​How Maryland is adapting its drinking water plans to climate change
Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin Climate Change Fact Sheet
EPA Addressing Climate Change in the Water Sector
​
A Case Study: The City of Frederick's plan for addressing Climate Change Impacts on Watersheds
Water Storage: 
Evaluation of Travilah Quarry for Water Supply Storage (Phase 1 and 2)

​
The Journal of the American Water Resources Association- "Benefits of Water Supply Forecasting in the Washington, DC area. 
​Montgomery County Park and Planning Water Resources Functional Plan  (May 2010)

Sharing Resources and Their Protection: Poolesville and the Reserve

1/24/2017

 
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Update:
The Developer of the proposed Wilshire project has now proposed 75 homes on 13 acres - still too big! In partnership with our friends at Protect our Poolesville (POP) - we've prepared a petition. Take one minute to support a sustainably sized Poolesville (and please share!)
Sign the Petition
Poolesville, Maryland is a small municipality located within the Ag Reserve. The Reserve's sole source of water, The federally designated Piedmont Aquifer, serves Poolesville as well. The aquifer is currently adequate in quantity and quality but it is fragile, subject to overuse and contamination, and must be guarded. Beautiful rustic roads  serve the Reserve and Poolesville. The Poolesville Cluster schools serve residents of the Reserve. So when discussion of ultra dense development proposals is undertaken, it is within our mission to lean in to ensure that care is given to protecting shared resources. And so we did recently when a proposal to develop a 13 acre parcel next to the Town green "Whalen Commons" with 93 or more homes landed. Members who are Town residents as well as members who live nearby in the Reserve asked for help. We have partnered with the newly formed Protect Our Poolesville to engage a land use consultant Richard Klein, provided groundwater material including recent water availability forecasts, and presented at public gatherings.

​PoP has engaged the candidates currently vying for 3 seats on the Poolesville Town Commission through an 
online candidates survey in order for the Town residents to better know their positions on growth and resource protection. ​

Understanding and Protecting Ag Reserve Groundwater

9/27/2016

 
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Montgomery County’s Ag/Openspace Reserve is, by design, wholly outside the WSSC service area.  Reserve residents, farms and businesses rely on ground water from the federally protected Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer- which also stretches into Frederick, Howard and Caroll Counties. According to the EPA, because the aquifer has just one source and serves such a wide swath of communities,  the aquifer  ”if contaminated, would pose a significant hazard to public health.”Whether you reside, work or play in the Reserve, understanding the finite and fragile nature of this high quality resource is important.  We can all work to protect it and continue to enjoy it’s high quality sustainably. 

See these links for more information.
​Town of Poolesville Wellhead Protection Zone

USGS Water Science Center
​
MDE Groundwater Protection Program
National Groundwater Association
​
Montgomery County Water Resources Master Plan Appendix

Sewer vs. Septic - It's Complicated

5/5/2016

 
by Kristina Bostick
The pros and cons of public sewer treatment vs individual septic is a complicated subject. One thing is clear: Public sewer systems do leak and when they do, they leak big.

Read More

Don't Flush Ten Mile Creek Protections!

1/15/2015

 
by Kristina Bostick

​Sewer Plan Threatens Ten Mile Creek

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Important Sewer Meeting: Show your support for keeping sewers out of Ten Mile Creek by attending the first meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the WSSC Clarksburg-Ten Mile Creek Sewer Study on Thursday, Feb 12th from 7-9pm.  The meeting will take place at the Montgomery County Government Upcounty Regional Services Center, Room A (12900 Middlebrook Road, Suite 1000, Germantown, Maryland 20874).  The public is invited to attend and there will be time at the end of the meeting for public comment.  Three board members of the Friends of Ten Mile Creek are on the Citizens Advisory Committee and we welcome you to attend and show your support.  And if you can't make this meeting, don't worry -- there will be others so please stay tuned.

Read More

2014 Wrap Up

11/7/2014

 
by Kristina Bostick

What has MCA done for me lately? Well...

Our Shared Environmental Resources


​
Supporting a Strong Ag Sector
Connecting New and Expanding Farmers with Land

​Strengthening the Producer Community with a  Listserve and Summits
Successfully Pushing for a New Farm Pilot Program
Proud Lead Organization of the Farming at Metro's Edge Conference
Supporting A proposed year-round daily farmers market in North Potomac 
Connecting farmers with new opportunities under the new County Zoning Code

Community
Producing "Growing Legacy"  film about the Reserve for students and the public
Creating an Ag Reserve Candidate Questionnaire/Voter Resource
Creating an Ag Education Pilot - 180 students reached so farHelping to Found the MoCo Food CouncilKeeping Monocacy Elementary Open

Zoning
No Commercial Recreation or Camps in the Ag Reserve
No Sewer Extension for Mega Churches
Battling Back Plans for Massive Cell Towers

Currently working on supporting new farm businesses and expansion of sourcing local farm products in County stores/restaurants.  We are pushing to add to our farmland inventory for the LandLink program.  Our education initiative has expanded and we are working with MC Farm Bureau to secure funding for mobile ag science lab for the use of the County's elementary schools.  How about that! Every elementary school student should have exposure to what farming is all about and why our Ag Reserve is so special.

​And the list goes on and on... help us add more victories to this list- join MCA - a yearly membership is just $25
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Faith Calls Congregations to Care for Water Quality

4/28/2014

 
by Caroline Taylor
Check out this great video on Maryland Congregations putting faith into practice to steward local water resources. Thanks to the Choose Clean Water Coalition for passing this along.

Full Council Votes for Compromise Ten Mile Creek Protection Plan 

3/3/2014

 
by Kristina Bostick
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Read More

On Peterson and Clean Water "Controversy"

2/28/2014

 
by Kristina Bostick
An article on Peterson Co.'s project "drying up in response to clean water controversy" came out from the Post and has been picked up elsewhere

Read More

Clarksburg Town Hall Wrap-Up

2/27/2014

 
by Kristina Bostick
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Read More

Ten Mile Creek- We Are So Close- Contact the Council 

2/21/2014

 
by Kristina Bostick
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Last week, a joint committee of Councilmembers approved a plan that provides protection for fragile Ten Mile Creek and the Little Seneca Reservoir which it feeds (backup water supply for you, me and 4.3 Million in the DC area). Called the "6-15-15 solution" , the joint committee’s plan allows significant residential and commercial development within Clarksburg Stage 4, while setting strict limits on imperviousness, in order to limit future additional damage to Ten Mile Creek. More on the plan here. We support this compromise plan but mitigation criteria (ex- forested buffers to protect wetlands) are an essential addition to properly protect the water supply. A full Council vote that was slated for next week has now been delayed to March 4, among other efforts to derail the process.

​That's why we are asking, one more time, for you to contact the Council and get the job done. Click here for a sample email and Council contact info.

Who is "Give Clarksburg Its Due?" 

2/21/2014

 
by Kristina Bostick
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Read More

Ten Mile Creek IS a Backup Drinking Water Source

1/14/2014

 
by Kristina Bostick
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UPDATE- A new study has shown that in the 2002 drought, around 25% of the Potomac's flow came from Little Seneca Reservoir and Ten Mile Creek. The idea that this is not a current and future water source for 4.3 Million doesn't...hold water.

In an email to supporters, Pulte Homes (one of a few developers looking to start projects in the sensitive Ten Mile Creek watershed)  said the following:

"The lake is not an emergency drinking water supply. It's a backup source of water for the Potomac River during times of severe drought. The Potomac is a drinking water source."

What? That is one serious linguistic shell game. Pulte is just one of a number of people that seem either legitimately or intentionally confused about the importance of the Little Seneca Reservoir and Ten Mile Creek.Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words- like this sign at the edge of the reservoir (again, the fact that its called a "reservoir" should give you a clue that the water is being held for later use):

Not only are the reservoir and Ten Mile Creek part of our back-up drinking water supply serving 4.3 million metro area residents, but the reservoir is checked every year to be sure it can still be called upon to supplement our water supply, as this alert from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin to the County Exec and Council made clear this summer.  In fact, water from the Reservoir had to be  used for drought abatement in 1999, 2002 and 2010. The Commission also reports that droughts will be getting a lot more common.

So that's the Reservoir - what about Ten Mile Creek. When we say that Ten Mile Creek is the "Last, Best Stream" in the county, its not hyperbole. The creek is what is called a "reference" stream- a stream that is still pristine enough that we can compare degraded streams to it to see how bad off they are. As the first Council work session held yesterday showed, the draft planning board plan for development in the watershed would degrade Ten Mile Creek to the point that it will no longer be clean enough to serve as a reference- dirty just like the others. As one supporter asked, "can't we just have one clean creek?"So, how do we know that the proposed development will degrade the creek? Because the green parts on the right of the map below are not golf courses, that is the color of the water in our backup drinking water supply, as impacted by poorly planned development (click to see it bigger). Ten Mile Creek on the left, is still pristine and currently serves to dilute some of the degraded water. The point is- we have done this all before- the removal of forest cover, laying down impervious surface, and we can see the results.

We still have a pristine stream that serves 4.3 Million people and will only be more important in the future. The current proposals will impact our drinking water and that is why we are making so much noise.

​The Council will decide on this in February- make sure they hear from you now.

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Montgomery Countryside Alliance
P.O Box 24, Poolesville, MD  20837
301-461-9831  •  ​info@mocoalliance.org
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MCA is proud to announce that we have been recognized for a third time as one of the best small charities in the D.C. region by Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington. A panel of 110 expert reviewers from area foundations, corporate giving programs, and peer non-profit organizations evaluated 270 applications.

​MCA is known as an effective and innovative non-profit whose efforts to preserve and promote Montgomery County’s nationally recognized 93,000 acre Ag Reserve have brought increased public and governmental support of local food production and farmland and open space preservation. Most importantly, MCA’s efforts are putting more farmers on the ground and keeping them there.
COPYRIGHT © MONTGOMERY COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE 2008