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".  

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. 

​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...

​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"

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.

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. 

 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)

by Kristina Bostick

by Kristina Bostick

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

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.

by Kristina Bostick

by Kristina Bostick

by Kristina Bostick

by Kristina Bostick

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.

by Kristina Bostick

by Kristina Bostick

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.