CHARLOTTE HALL, Md. – The Metropolitan Commission (“MetCom”) provides public water and sewer services to parts of St. Mary’s County. MetCom operates 28 water supply and distribution systems throughout the County, including 67 wells, supplying approximately 1.4 billion gallons of water annually. Likewise, MetCom owns and operates 5 wastewater treatment facilities treating a combined average of 1.5 billion gallons, a daily average of over 4.1 million gallons of waste. MetCom also manages two private sewage treatment facilities under operating agreements with the facility owners. Following the new 500,000 gallon Hollywood elevated Water Storage Tower (“WST”) placed into operation on December 27, 2017, MetCom is moving ahead with two (2) additional WST’s and associated production wells located in Charlotte Hall and Hickory Hills. Both projects will include state-of-the art radio communication technology.
The new Charlotte Hall elevated WST near the Maryland Transit Administration Park and Ride Facility on MD Route 6 serves the Charlotte Hall Town Center area. This particular tower will provide 400,000 gallons of storage and a 250 gallon per minute well. The new facility will ensure adequate fire suppression, address storage lost due to a damaged ground storage tank and provide water storage for domestic use. The approved capital construction budget of $3.107M was funded through a low interest loan from the Department of Housing and Community Development. The Water Appropriations and Use Permit was obtained from the Water Management Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment’s (“MDE”) Certification of Potability for the well was received on January 15, 2019. The water quality testing has been completed and the facility has been placed into operation. The project was made successful through the efforts of MetCom staff, contractor, Caldwell Tanks, Inc. and designer, WRA.
George Erichsen, MetCom’s Executive Director stated: “We are very pleased at the recent progress of these last two projects, and are now pressing forward to begin the construction of a much larger two million gallon water storage tank in Hickory Hills that was approved in prior years. The new facility has an approved budget of $ 6.297M for the storage tank and $0.997M for the well. This project is also funded through a low interest loan from the Department of Housing and Community Development.” Final land acquisition was completed on November 1, 2017. Plans and specifications are nearing completion, a Grading Permit has been obtained, and a Construction Permit Application Acknowledgment from MDE was received on January 1, 2019. Construction is anticipated to begin in late summer 2019, following the formal bidding process.
To learn more about our projects, please visit our website at www.metcom.org and choose Capital Improvement Projects under the Engineering tab.