'A community problem': County's future water demands expected to cost up to $100 million

A week ago, it was the area's battle against drug addiction that captured the limelight as dozens of recovering drug users, health care professionals, lawmakers and others gathered with Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller at Brooke's House drug recovery home near Hagerstown.

On Thursday, it was dealing with another pressing need in the city and county: water.

How will Washington County and the city of Hagerstown make sure there is enough of it as the county grows?

The question attracted another estimated 25 city and county leaders Thursday morning to the city's R.C. Willson Water Treatment Plant off Bottom Road outside Williamsport to start devising a plan.

The plant's water drawn from the Potomac River not only serves Hagerstown, but provides the county with much of its water. About 60 percent of the water processed at the plant goes outside the city, said Nancy Hausrath, the city's utilities director.

And challenges lie ahead, like the fact that the plant is nearly 100 years old.

What is the condition of the city's water plant?

Its primary lines are fragile and too small to handle increased volumes of water, according to a report handed out at the meeting. And because other distribution lines in the system are "operating at maximum pressure," they can't handle more flow right now, the report said.

The price tag to fix it?

It's estimated at $80 to $100 million.

In the meantime, the county keeps growing, as evidenced by statistics including that almost 20,000 more people are expected to move here by 2040, said Jill Baker, director of planning and zoning for the county.

City and county officials at the meeting said they have been working closely on various issues and believed it was important to come together to tackle the water, which they said has been on their minds since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The report handed out at the meeting was put together by city and county staff.

"It's not just a county problem and it's not just a city problem. It's a community problem," Baker said.

"There's no bigger issue than this," added Hagerstown City Administrator Scott Nicewarner.

The Washington County Commissioners also attended as well as Hagerstown Mayor Tekesha Martinez and most of the Hagerstown City Council.

There are other ways that water service is handled in the county. There are private wells, and the city sells water to Williamsport, Funkstown and Smithsburg for their needs. Hancock has its own water system. The county has a few water treatment plants, including one for Sharpsburg. But it's smaller than R.C. Willson, officials said.

How much water can the plant produce?

The R.C. Willson plant began operation on Dec. 7, 1928, and had the capacity to pump 10 million gallons a day. The plant was upgraded in the 1970s to give it a capacity to distribute 20 million gallons per day, although officials believe growth demands will outpace the system's capacity. The city invested another $60 million into the water system between 2009 and 2023.

R.C. Willson runs 24/7 and last year produced about 10.8 million gallons a day, according to the report.

Hausrath said the plant pumps up to 13 million gallons a day in the summer when usage rises due to people washing cars and watering lawns. Other unique challenges include commercial car washes.

"Car washes are killing us right now," Hausrath told the group.

Water is extended to a customer based on an "allocation," but that doesn't mean the plant turns off the water when that level is reached.

As a result, Hausrath said there are examples of commercial car washes being given allocations of 2,000 gallons per day but using more than 20,000 gallons a day.

"That's more than a couple restaurants use," she said.

Among other solutions discussed during the meeting is limiting allocations to prevent "unauthorized allocation increases."

Hausrath mentioned other developing issues, like larger water demands for fire protection, especially for "mega-warehouses" being built here.

Should economic growth be redirected?

There was considerable discussion about how water lines are extended to certain areas and where the city and the county have designated growth areas, particularly to the west of Hagerstown along Greencastle Pike.

Washington County Commissioner Derek Harvey suggested redirecting growth so there isn't so much urban sprawl. The idea is to grow more efficiently, such as by redeveloping older areas of Hagerstown, he said.

Harvey also asked in-depth questions about finances involving the city water system. He was directed by city staff on where to find those details in the city's budget.

A comment was made about using customer rates to help deal with the needed upgrades to the water system. Those would have to be "pretty significant," Hausrath said.

There is a back up water supply the city can rely on. It's called the Edgemont Reservior and it's situated near Smithsburg. But it was drained in 2016 as a safety precaution due to seepage issues. Estimated costs to repair it are $30 million.

Councilman Kristin Aleshire said he believes it's vital to have the reservoir, and to prove his point, he asked Hausrath how much water the R.C. Willson plant has in reserve if it broke down.

"We don't have a full day," Hausrath said.

At the end of the meeting, officials from both sides talked about how important it was to come together. County Administrator John Martirano said he expects members from the city and county to go back to their respective departments to discuss the situation, then come back together to talk again.

"I just hope this kick-starts a conversation," Martirano said.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown and Washington County meet to plan area's water needs