The recent Maryland Geological Survey (MGS) presentation to the Tri-County Council received major media attention for its seeming revelation that residents could one day turn on their faucets and get nothing.  However, this presentation wasn’t the first to warn local authorities about our water supply.  Charles county aquifers are indeed reaching new lows.  Our fresh water supply is indeed limited.  But, county government has known about it for years.

The county was warned in 2005 by Charles County Groundwater Resource Update as well as by the May 2004 Report from the Governor’s Advisory Committee on the Management and Protection of the State’s Water Resources.  In fact, they have known about the county’s water issues since the late 1980’s when, instead of drilling another public well, the County secured the rights to an additional 1.4 million gallons of water per day for Western Charles County from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

“This is a very serious issue, one that I personally feel does not get the attention it should,” said Cheryl Thomas, a member of the County’s Water Resource Advisory Committee.  “…negative stories like this are usually dismissed as overblown and many say that the supply issue is not as bad as it appears.  However, the MGS and the [US Geological Survey] reports are quite the contrary.”

Conserve Water, but Expand Development

County government has a confusing history of action associated with protecting our water supply.  On one hand, the board of commissioners created a Water Resource Advisory Committee (WRAC) in early spring of 2006.  This group of local volunteers, county employees and water experts were assigned to study the data then make recommendations to the Board.  The Committee completed its task and presented its report with a prioritized list of recommendations to the Board nearly a year ago in late November 2006.  Charles County has also spent nearly $45 million since 1993 improving our infrastructure and water resource management .

“We’re trying to do everything we can to save the aquifers,” Commissioners’ President F. Wayne Cooper (D) told the La Plata Town Council
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