The BOE met on 11/20 (thanks to the many folks that took action!) and approved all 5 proposed Artificial Turf fields - including Poolesville - with no mention of the issues raised about the drinking water aquifer or athlete health, as part of the larger CIP budget. These fields are part of a larger push to have all high schools and then all middle and elementary schools on turf in the coming decades and this must not happen.
It should be noted that Note that Council rarely goes against BOE approved MCPS Athletic facilities. Ike Leggett did stop MCPS' push for plastic while in office.
To take a deeper dive into the CIP budget passed by the BOE and a breakdown of turf costs click here - with thanks to One Montgomery Green. Scroll down for lots of links on the harms to athletes and the aquifer.
The budget now heads to the County Executive. The Executive and then Council will look over and approve this CIP in the first months of the year. That is where we turn our focus now.
Next Steps:
MCA is gathering more research and will provide other targeted outreach opportunities, in the meantime communications with the Executive are the goal. You can reach his office at [email protected]
It should be noted that Note that Council rarely goes against BOE approved MCPS Athletic facilities. Ike Leggett did stop MCPS' push for plastic while in office.
To take a deeper dive into the CIP budget passed by the BOE and a breakdown of turf costs click here - with thanks to One Montgomery Green. Scroll down for lots of links on the harms to athletes and the aquifer.
The budget now heads to the County Executive. The Executive and then Council will look over and approve this CIP in the first months of the year. That is where we turn our focus now.
Next Steps:
MCA is gathering more research and will provide other targeted outreach opportunities, in the meantime communications with the Executive are the goal. You can reach his office at [email protected]
Why are some officials clamoring for synthetic turf fields at Poolesville High School when:
- They are known to leach harmful PFAS and other chemicals into local wells - when Poolesville has already spent millions (so far) mitigating PFAS in wells
- They are harmful to athletes - the NFL players union does not want to play on it citing increased injuries - all Men's World Cup locations must be natural grass the women's team sued to get all grass venues. PFAS coats the skin of athletes when they play and the Children's Health Center of Mount Sinai Hospital has come out against all artificial turf fields
- They are more expensive than grass fields and need to be regularly replaced. The price tag is $3.6 Million to install the proposed PHS fields and they will need replacing in 8-10 years along with annual maintenance costs.
- They risk introducing chemicals into Ag wells, endangering the safety and salability of Ag Reserve products - bringing uncertainty to a $281 Million dollar sector of the County economy.
The BOE votes on 11/20 - please take a moment with our letter writing tool to write to them today.
We All Drink From the Same Tap
Every resident and farm in the Ag Reserve relies on the Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer running below the surface for drinking and irrigation water. The wells and septic systems serve the Reserve by design - limiting large scale development and saving the county many millions on running water and sewers to one third of the county.
Every resident and farm in the Ag Reserve relies on the Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer running below the surface for drinking and irrigation water. The wells and septic systems serve the Reserve by design - limiting large scale development and saving the county many millions on running water and sewers to one third of the county.
Great Testimony In Opposition to Turf Fields:
- Check out MCA's Testimony from the Poolesville Commissioner Town Commissioner Meeting Unfortunately, the Commissioners have voted to support this field.
- One Montgomery Green provided testimony in opposition
- A public health expert/Poolesville soccer parent wrote to the School Board to break down the science of turf's impacts on kids
- PEER Research on Turf company Shaw
- PHS's own students are on the MCPS Climate Action Council and have outlined plans for how to better steward natural grass fields, finding that synturf fields are harmful for students.
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.
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.
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.
