JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT MEETING!
Tuesday, April 8th, 2025, at 7:15 p.m.
IN-PERSON AT THE POTOMAC LIBRARY!
Addendum to Tuesday April 8 General Meeting – Potomac Library –
Since our newsletter went out by mail and electronically, we’ve been contacted by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation agreeing to speak on Roadside Tree Maintenance. This is an invaluable opportunity to learn and ask questions about something we see daily. Trees cut down on roadsides. We might ask: what was wrong with that mature tree shading the road ? Or, who is responsible for doing so what criteria was used to decide? Sometimes it is Pepco, engaged in utility line clearing but DOT has an arborist and a Department of Roadside Tree Maintenance also making decisions regarding the health and safety of trees adjacent to our streets. Jack Pond – arborist for DOT and Michael Nesselt, section Chief of Tree Maintenance Section will be speakers and answer questions. We will still have time for general questions on other member and public concerns. .
Ginny Barnes- President
SPEAKER: YOU – Bring Your Concerns
Each year we try to devote a meeting to the discussion of issues we are following as well as concerns raised by members. The Potomac Subregion continues to be threatened by the lack of adherence to the Master Plan which is in place to protect environmentally sensitive areas, maintain the low-density character as a residential “green wedge”, and enhance park, recreation and transportation links. The Attainable Housing Initiative (AHI) / Workforce N.O.W. has proposed zoning modifications which would allow developers to replace single-family homes with duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, and small apartment buildings all within single-family zoned areas in the County, without adequate studies whether infrastructure can handle this increased density and without providing affordable housing. Data Centers are another environmental and public health concern as they can consume the equivalent electricity of 50,000 homes, have a larger carbon footprint than the airline industry, and expose both noise and fine particulate air pollution to surrounding areas. We also continue to monitor WSSC’s plans for ensuring a continued safe water supply from the Potomac River as well as their plans for the local public Equestrian Facility/Barn on their property in Avenel. Please come and bring your issues. Expect updates and lively discussion.
As always, the public is welcome to attend!
WMCCA’s Work Continues!
President’s Letter by Ginny Barnes
Our Citizens Association was founded in 1947 when there were still dirt roads in many parts of Potomac and the bustling Village we know now was simply a crossroads with none of the services we currently enjoy. WMCCA has been consistently active in guiding growth in our community to ensure we retain our rural character and our abundant natural resources. We provide a rural residential green wedge between urban areas closer to Washington, DC and the Agricultural Reserve of over 94,000 acres where farming is still a way of life.
Over the years we’ve tackled many issues and seen numerable changes. We’ve worked to contain commercial development within Potomac Village, to defend our two-lane road system and, most recently, our Rustic Roads, to keep sewer where it was intended to be to avoid sprawl, to retain our low-density zoning and abundant green space. We’ve seen the last area farms become housing developments. Horses once could be seen in every pasture. Not anymore. But we’ve retained a unique character that includes ample forest cover, contiguous stream valley parkland, two historic black communities, and the C&O National Historic Park on our border which brings thousands of visitors each year. We’ve been a champion for water quality protection in our streams and a clean drinking water supply.
Many of the issues we take on come from our members’ concerns. An open meeting is a chance for all to learn what is going on in places we might not know about. We look forward to your input and support, and if you’re interested in joining our Board – we’d love to hear from you! See you on April 8th with issues in hand.
Update on WSSC’s Potomac Water Filtration Plant
Submitted by Barbara Hoover
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission’s Potomac Water Filtration Plant withdraws and treats up to 400 million gallons of water each day from the Potomac River. The intake structure, on the canal above Swain’s Lock, was built in 1982. WMCCA members have noticed a lot of construction and downing of trees over the past months, so we contacted WSSC to ask them what is happening at this site. They provided this response:
What is the nature of the work being done? The work at our Potomac Water Filtration Plant is being done in accordance with the Potomac Consent Decree, which was finalized in 2015. The goal of the Consent Decree is to reduce solids discharged back into the Potomac River following the filtration process. There are two projects under construction concurrently. Our General Manager and CEO, Kishia L. Powell, provided an update on this project at last month’s Commission meeting. The presentation can be found here:
https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/3172320/GM_Presentation_Feb_Commission_ Meeting.pdf … please see slides 13, 14 & 15.
On the east side of the plant, we are constructing a storage and treatment facility for our filter backwash effluent, including a new pumping station. In addition, we have major equipment upgrades within the sedimentation basins and filters. The second project, on the west side of the plant, centers on the construction of three new gravity thwickeners (large round tanks) and a splitter box that controls the flow discharge among the tanks. Both projects are being constructed to separate and capture solids (silt material) from our filter backwash effluent before that effluent is released back into the Potomac River.j
For a background into the Consent Decree, when WSSC Water pulls raw water from the Potomac as our water supply, a certain amount of silt comes with that. During our filtration process, we separate all that silt from the water and capture almost all of it and haul it to landfill. However, a small amount of that silt passes through our current filter backwash process and gets released back into the river. The goal of the Consent Decree is to further reduce solids discharged back into the river.
Will this work increase the output of the plant? No added plant capacity will result from the Consent Decree projects.
Is the mid-river intake part of this project? When did it start? When will it be complete? The Submerged Channel Intake is not part of these projects. This project is still pending. No dates at this point.
From River Road we see a lot of trees being cut down – is there a plan drawing or map that shows the extent of the expansion? The slides in the link for the WSSC presentation show the extent of each project footprint.
Is any of the work being done to address actual or projected needs or consumption? No. The work associated with the Consent Decree is focused on capturing and reducing solids discharged into the river.
Are there any concerns about the Potomac water supply keeping up with the demands of a growing population and all the data center demands in Virginia and soon Maryland? In the near term, our modeling does not predict any shortfalls due to drought. Fortunately, we have several upstream reservoirs, including Little Seneca and Jennings Randolph reservoir, that were constructed for emergency water supplies to supplement river flow under drought conditions.
When will the work be complete? Early 2026.
IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE – The May General Meeting Has Been Rescheduled to MAY 20th.
WMCCA NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The WMCCA Nominating Committee is as follows:
- Chairperson – Carol Van Dam Falk
- Members – Barbara Brown, Shawn Justement, Nancy Madden, Kathy Petitt
They will nominate the Officers and Directors to be voted on at the May 20, 2025 General Meeting
Go Green – Go Paperless! Let us know if you are willing to go paperless. Our electronic newlettters save the expense of rising postage and printing costs. Thank you! Please email: hooverb@msn.com.
West Montgomery County Citizens Association Newsletter
P.O. Box 59335, Potomac, MD 20859
President – Ginny Barnes: President@WMCCA.org
Website: WMCCA.org – Thomas Fahey, Newsletter Editor – Nancy Madden
West Montgomery County Citizens Association 