Ten Mile Creek Victory!

We won. 

Here's from Diane Cameron, Audubon Naturalist Society -

I am happy to report that the Montgomery County Council approved today a Limited Master Plan Amendment for Ten Mile Creek / Clarksburg Stage 4.  Thank you to all of the Stormwater Partners who wrote email letters to the Council, and sent alerts to their own lists. Your hard work helped us to win!

As stated by the Planning Board, the purpose of this Master Plan Amendment is threefold:

1) "to determine how comprehensive watershed protection and state-of-the-art Environmental Site Design can be used in the Ten Mile Creek watershed ..."

2) "Involve all stakeholders..."  and

3) "Incorporate current county policy initiatives..."

The Council didn't take a vote, but rather approved the inclusion of this Master Plan Amendment in the Planning Board's work plan by acclamation.

This project is truly on a fast track - with a commitment by the Planning Board to complete this Amendment in 12 months - by October, 2013. 

The Montgomery County Council will then act on the recommended Master Plan amendment by the Spring of 2014.

Now, we will turn our attention to the work of the Planning Board and its review of watershed protection criteria for Ten Mile Creek.

Council President Berliner, Councilmember Elrich, and other councilmembers underlined the importance of basing the protective criteria for Ten Mile

Creek upon objective science.  The 3 essential elements of watershed protection, that science and prior experience have taught us, are:

1) Imperviousness cap based on protecting key sensitive aquatic species;

2) Forest cover minimums for the watershed as a whole, and for the riparian buffers; and

3) Limits on disruption of bedrock, topography and soils by earthmoving equipment and utilities and transportation infrastructure.

- Diane

Ten Mile Creek: Hey I was Drinking That!

Ten Mile Creek in Clarksburg is Montgomery County's last, best stream and part of the drinking water supply for 3 million people in the Washington, D.C. region.   When the Clarksburg Town was planned in 1994,  it placed the western side of the creek in the county’s Agricultural Reserve, safeguarding the farms and forests that had occupied it for generations.  However, they decided to postpone designation of the eastern side until "more studies" have been done.  The studies were done, they recommended that the eastern side be protected too and now it is time to ask the county to act on this recommendation. 

Two development proposals for land in the headwaters are being considered.  They would bring more than a thousand housing units and a half-million square feet of commercial space into the headwaters of Ten Mile Creek. The scale and footprint of these projects, along with the sewer lines to serve them, will destroy this sensitive watershed.  

Sign a Petition
Please take a minute to ask the County Council to put a stop to this urban sprawl development and protect the stream.  You can email them directly, or sign a petition by going to the Montgomery Countryside Alliance website. 

Learn about the Issue
To learn more about the efforts to save Ten Mile Creek, visit the Audubon Naturalist Society website.  They have been working on this for years and ask for our help.   

Read about the problem in an oped piece by Royce Hanson, former Montgomery County Planning Board Chair. 

This is not just a Clarksburg problem, but an issue for all of us who drink water and love the environment!

Sarah Morse