Water and Sewer Category Change Request Hearings

Administrative Hearings

Council Hearings

Category Change Request Hearing Schedule

Forms

Identify the Water and Sewer Catagory for a Property

Gude Monitoring Plan

QUESTIONS?

Category Change Request Applications

DEP accepts category change requests throughout the year and transmits them on a quarterly schedule to other agencies for review (Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Maryland – National Capital Park and Planning Commission, etc.).  Links for the most recent transmittals are provided below.  These packets include a summary and mapping of each request. 

Category Change Request Applications Review Group 2009-4

Posted is agency comments for the 2009-4 review group which includes 1 individual water/sewer service area category change requests and 1 general amendments which, after agency review, are planned to be considered by the DEP administrative delegation action of 2009-4 on November 24, 2009.  These requests will be considered as proposed amendments to the County’s Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan.  In this review period, four other category change request were received; these requests did not qualify for consideration in this administrative delegation action. Two of these requests will be included in the Fall 2010 County Council packet and are listed on pages 5 and 6 of this document. The two other requests (pgs 7 and 8) DEP will be held at the agency comment phase of the category change process pending decisions on rezoning requests.  These zoning action have the potential to affect service area category recommendations for these cases.

Administrative Hearings

 The next Administrative hearing AD2009-4 will be held at DEP's office at 255 Rockville Pike, suite 120, Rockville 20850 on Tuesday November 24 at 2:30.  Written testimony must be received by DEP’s Director, 255 Rockville Pike, Suite 120,  Rockville, MD  20850, by 4:30 p.m. on December 1, 2009, at which time the hearing record closes.  Facility accessible to handicapped individuals.  Interpreter services for hearing‑impaired citizens are guaranteed only with five (5) business days notice.  DEP staff recommends all amendments for either approval or conditional approval.

The Maryland Capital Park and Planning Commision (MNCPPC) Planning Staff will hear the Administrative Group AD 2009-4 on November 5, 2009.  For details on the Planning Board session or if you would like to provide public testimony please visit their web site.

County Council Hearings

The County Executive’s Transmittal to the Council (July 2009)

On September 17, 2009, the County Executive transmitted a packet for one new water/sewer category change request for consideration by the County Council.  This document can be viewed through the link shown above.

The Council will hold a hearing on this request on Tuesday, November 3, 2009, at approximately 1:30 p.m.  The hearing will be held in the Third Floor Hearing Room in the Council Office Building, located at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. For more information on the process and how to testify, please refer to this document.

DEP staff will update this page as needed as the Council’s review process continues.

County Council Resolution No. 16-922 (April 21, 2009)

On April 21, 2009, the County Council acted on four proposed water/sewer category change requests submitted by the County Executive.  Please click on the link shown above to view the resolution and attachments.  Click on this link to see the Executive’s original transmittal.

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Look up a Water and Sewer Category

To look up a water and sewer category the Montgomery County Department of Technical Serviced (MC-DTS) has created an interactive Map Viewer.  There are different ways to access the water and sewer category information using map veiwer.  One example is use the locate adress option (on the top of screen), which will place a red dot near the adress that was entered. Next click on the Environmental Protection folder on the left hand side of the screen.  The Environmental Protection folder offers different layers including the water and sewer categories.  When you zoom into the desired property the categories should appear (water in blue and sewer in red).  Other items to note: In the Basemap folder there is a property layer and in the Street and Zip Code folder there is a street name layer.  To see the category definition and description please look at the Water and Sewer Services Area Categories Chart on page 5 of the Category Change Request Information and Fees Chart Form.

Recent Water and Sewer Category Change Actions

Summary of Action for Administrative Hearing Group AD 2009-3

Summary of Action for Administrative Hearing Group AD 2009-2

Summary of Action for Administrative Hearing Group AD 2009-1

Summary of Action for Administrative Hearing Group AD 2008-4

Council Resolution No. 16-728 was adopted on October 7, 2008.  This resolution addressed category change requests in the following planning areas: Cloverly, Damascus, Fairland, Patuxent, Travilah, and Upper Rock Creek.  The resolution also included a health problem designation for the Clarksburg Historic District and the Council’s concurrence for a general water map amendment near Laytonsville.  The County Executive's original July 2008 transmittal to the Council is available through this link.

*Resolution 16-500 was adopted by County Council on April 8, 2008. This resolution addressed category change requests in the following planning areas: Cloverly, Goshen – Woodfield, Olney, Potomac, and Travilah.  The County Executive’s original January 2008 transmittal to the County Council is available through the following links:

The County Executive's Transmittal to the Council (July 2008)

Click Here for more detailed information on the upcoming hearing, on how to provide testimony to the Council, and on the Council’s review process.  Specific information from the Executive’s transmittal is available through the following links:
* Transmittal and Executive Summary
* Cloverly – Norwood Planning Area Requests
* Goshen – Woodfield – Cedar Grove Planning Area Requests
* Olney Planning Area Requests
* Potomac – Cabin John Planning Area Requests
* Travilah Planning Area Requests
 

  2008 Category Change Request Administrative Hearing Schedule
 
To review the schedules, please click on the headlines above.  For general information about the category change request process and related fees, please review the information posted below under "Category Change Request Process."  Please note that certain requests are selected for review by the County Council in the Spring and Fall of each year; these hearings are held in addition to the quarterly Administrative Hearings referenced above, and the dates of these hearings are set by Council staff.  If you have questions, please contact DEP. 

Category Change Request Process

July 2005: Pursuant to Executive Regulation 2-05, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection will require application fees for water and sewer category change requests, beginning on July 1, 2005.  For the application form and instruction sheet, which includes the fees-chart, please click on the document titles below:

Category Change Request Application Form

Category Change Request Information and Fees Chart Form

Please note: Payment for your category change request must be made at the Division of the Treasury.  Click on the document title below for the deposit form that must be taken with your payment to the Treasury.  DEP and the Treasury are both located in 255 Rockville Pike; DEP is in Suite 120, and the Treasury is one floor down, in Suite L-15.  Both are open 8-4:30, Monday-Friday.

Treasury Deposit Form

Record Plat Form

DEP reviews all subdivision record plats for consistency with the County's Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan.  DEP also calculates potential sewage treatment capacity requirements for new development using public sewer service (except for the municipalities of Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Washington Grove).  DEP performs this calculation as part of a State‑mandated plat approval process, and will not approve plats for development using public sewerage systems until this calculation is performed.  Click on the document title for a printable copy of the form, which you may mail or bring to our office.

Request for On-Site Systems for Properties Designated as Service Area Categories 1 or 3

Ten Year Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan
The 2003 Ten-Year Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan (Water and Sewer Plan) provides an update and partial rewrite of the 1999 Plan.  It includes updated information on County policies and plans, and expands the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to provide maps that more accurately reflect water and sewerage system information.

This 2003 Plan includes the adopted policies and plans contained in the 1999 Plan and in subsequent amendments.  DEP has added information from technical sources and related County plans; this information has been organized in the Plan's text, figures, and maps in an attempt to make it more understandable to a broader audience.  Technical information has been summarized and presented on both a watershed and planning area basis,  to allow focus on issues that relate to geographic areas.

Please note that the maps referenced within the document may appear as blank pages, and some tables may not be fully viewable; they will be corrected and posted as soon as possible.  If you have any questions, please Email DEP.
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Residential Wells and Groundwater
There are approximately 50,000 water wells in Montgomery County.  No regulations or standards exist for residential individual water wells except for State of Maryland regulations, which require sampling when the well is first drilled. DEP encourages you to understand the quality of your well water supply and reminds you that the conditions in your well can change naturally or from human sources which can influence the quality of the water in your well.

Swimming Pool/Spa Guidelines [pdf]
Chlorine and other chemicals used in maintaining pools and spas, which often include acidic or alkaline cleaning compounds, can have a severe negative impact on the plant and aquatic life in our streams. Even at extremely low levels, chlorine can be toxic to aquatic life. Because all streams in Montgomery County discharge to rivers that drain to the Chesapeake Bay, pollution in our local streams and rivers impacts the health and vitality of the Bay. Water pollution in our streams can also affect drinking water supply, as most county residents are served by water drawn from the Potomac River, which is fed by local streams.