SMART GROWTH DAY SUMMARY
WATER RESOURCE PLAN FOR PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
The panelists present for the Water Resource Plan discussion included; Ms. Debra Weller of the Prince
George’s County’s Department of Environmental Resources (DER), Mr. Mark Symborski of
Montgomery County’s Planning Department; the project leader for Montgomery County’s Water
Resources Plan, and Mr. Roland Steiner of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC)
which provides public drinking water and wastewater services to Prince George’s and Montgomery
Counties. The panel facilitator and moderator was Ms. Karen Buxbaum, the project leader for Prince
George’s County’s Water Resources Plan.
The panel discussion for water resource planning addressed several issues and topics relative to
new and evolving requirements to achieve redefined water quality goals. Ms. Weller addressed
concerns and considerations relative to watershed planning and the state requirements to develop
Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) to establish localized Total Maximum Daily Loads
(TMDLs). Counties will be required to establish Waste Load Allocations for point source
contributions and Load Allocations (LA) for nonpoint source contributions within defined bay
water quality segments.
Mr. Symborski discussed the challenges in Montgomery County to develop stormwater management
retrofit strategies on limited land area in developed communities. Environmental Site Design (ESD)
strategies along with maximization of open space ecological functions will be critical to achieving the
County’s nonpoint source stormwater management goals. Montgomery County has recently re-organized
their Clean Water Task Force to address these issues in a coordinated fashion.
Mr. Steiner addressed issues particular to wastewater management and the concerns that counties are
facing relative to technological limitations at wastewater facilities and caps on Nitrogen (N) and
phosphorous (P) discharges. WLA at wastewater treatment facilities will require re-examination of county
growth and no-growth areas.
Ms. Buxbaum summarized these issues and concerns and stressed the need for all agencies, utilities, and
groups with water resource planning responsibility to work together to establish an organizational,
programmatic, and financial structure to achieve the water quality goals for the Chesapeake Bay.