• Release ID: 09-141
• Release Date: 10/20/2009
• Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-777-7939 or Jean Arthur240-777-7934
• From: Council Office

Montgomery County Council Names 10 to Clarksburg Water Quality Working Group

Councilmember Mike Knapp Sought Group to Monitor
Environmental Issues Related to Community’s Future

ROCKVILLE, Md., October 20, 2009—The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday, Oct. 20, unanimously voted to name 10 people to an ad hoc Water Quality Working Group that will monitor environmental issues in Clarksburg as development continues in the emerging northern Montgomery community. Creation of the group was requested by Councilmember Mike Knapp, whose District 2 includes Clarksburg.

The Council on Oct. 13 voted to form a group of experts in the environmental / water quality field to study the findings of the 2007 Special Protection Area Annual Report related to Clarksburg. The group will collect information on all new and pending state and federal regulations regarding water quality, stormwater management and sediment control to analyze how these new requirements will impact future development in Clarksburg. The group also will make recommendations to improve development procedures to ensure minimal impact on the area’s water quality, formulating a report to the Council by Feb. 1, 2010.

Named to the ad hoc working group were Rick Brush of the Department of Permitting Services; Diane Cameron of Stormwater Partners; Irene Carrato, a civil engineer; John Cook, a Clarksburg environmental activist; Carl Elefane, a sustainability architect; Keith Levchenko, an analyst on environmental issues for the County Council; Mark Pfefferle of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission; Dusty Rood, an environmental specialist and vice chair of the Montgomery County Water Quality Advisory Committee; Steve Shofar of the Department of Environmental Protection; and Richard Thometz, a residential home energy consultant.

“The qualifications, concerns and varied backgrounds of the people that have been selected for this working group demonstrate the Council’s commitment to water quality issues in the Clarksburg area,” said Councilmember Knapp. “Taking this step to protect the water quality in the area will be another protection that Clarksburg’s current and future residents must have.”

In addition to chief sponsor Knapp, co-sponsors of the resolution to create the working group were Council Vice President Roger Berliner and Councilmembers Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal and Duchy Trachtenberg.

The Clarksburg Master Plan, approved in 1994, established a four-stage development process requiring certain criteria be met before development could proceed to the next stage. The final triggers enabling development to advance to Stage 4 have been met. However, concerns have been raised regarding water quality in the area as the result of development already underway in Clarksburg—including the impact on Ten Mile Creek.

In January 2009, County Executive Isiah Leggett released the 2007 Special Protection Area Annual Report issued by the Interagency Workgroup on Clarksburg Stage 4. The 2007 report was based on data collected before much of the stormwater management infrastructure planned for Clarksburg was completed. As a result, the true stormwater impact on streams is not complete.

In September, a group of Clarksburg interested parties met to discuss the water quality issue in Clarksburg. The group pinpointed several needs regarding future development, including the need for better environmental protections that are more up to date technologically than those implemented for development of Clarksburg Stages 1 and 2. The group also asked for clear rules and standards for developments that enable accurate measurements.

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