Dear Friends of Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Reservoir:

            On the June 28th, the County Council endorsed Alternative 12 of the Clarksburg Area Sewer Facility Study.  Thanks to all that wrote in- you were heard! We are very pleased at this decision and await the final public confirmation at the PHED/T&E Committee work session tentatively scheduled for July 12th.  Alternative 12 is clearly most environmentally sensitive of the alternatives proposed. As Board Member Cathy Wiss stated in her testimony, Alternative 12 is the most preferable as  “It has no gravity sewers or force mains in the creek and its buffers, has fewer pumping stations located outside of the buffers; calls for stream crossings only in the rights of way of existing roads; and would cost less to construct.”

                The board members present at the June 28th hearing decided that it would be appropriate to write a “thank you letter” to the County Council confirming their approval of Alternative 12. 

                We hope that you can write to the Council as well endorsing their choice of Alternative 12 for the sewers.  Below is a sample letter:

 

Dear Councilmembers:  (mailto:County.Council@montgomerycountymd.gov) and please bcc mail@tenmilecreek.org)

Re: Clarksburg Ten Mile Creek Area Sewer Facility Study

            I am very pleased to learn of the Council’s adoption of Alternative 12 .  We commend WSSC, the Planning Board, and the County Council for embracing a balanced approach to sewer infrastructure, endorsing the least intrusive option in the fragile Ten Mile Creek watershed.  Also, importantly for the Clarksburg Historic District, the selection of Alternative 12 means that the historic district can receive sewers now, rather than waiting for a Route 355 bypass, which has yet to be built.

            One question remains, and has been verbally addressed by Councilmembers Nancy Floreen and Marc Elrich – the erroneous lines on all of WSSC’s maps purporting to show “buildable areas” on the Pulte/King Property. It is very important that these lines be removed, as within these lines are four stream segments and their buffers.   The Council agreed to clarify this in written material, removing these incorrect lines that have never been approved by any government agency.

            Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to protect Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Reservoir, a vitally important drinking water resource for the entire Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area.

 

                Sincerely,

 

(Please provide name and address)

The protections for Ten Mile Creek are sound and we are not deterred by these developments. With your support we can continue to be the guardians this watershed needs for the long term. Thanks for your support.