PART II The Good Gift
PLENTY ’ s spring issue provided an overview of the Piedmont Aquifer giving voice to its importance to rural communities in Montgomery County . Now to confronting the challenges to stewarding the resource . How do we get folks to give a damn about protecting the aquifer before it ’ s too late ?
By Caroline Taylor and Kristina Bostick
Another summer of prolonged heat and drought conditions in our region and sobering climate change projections beg attention to our regional water resources and how we will collaboratively plan for the future . This summer , 3.1 million Marylanders experienced drought conditions according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ). For much of the region , water taken from the Potomac River or , when necessary , from stores in local reservoirs is treated and conveyed to homes and businesses by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission ( WSSC ). However , by design , Montgomery County ’ s 93,000- acre Agricultural Reserve and surrounding rural communities instead rely on groundwater from wells that are fed by an underground aquifer . Individual septic systems provide waste disposal instead of centralized sewer service . This aspect of Montgomery County ’ s water and sewer plan helps to contain sprawl , allowing for stronger protection for working farms and lower cost of providing public infrastructure . How will our region plan for and integrate measures to protect our water supplies in the future ?
The federally designated Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer is a vast unconfined aquifer extending from Frederick County through Montgomery County and likely , though not yet mapped , into Loudoun County , Virginia . Increasing demand and changes in climate patterns are raising questions about how regional water supplies , whether surface water or groundwater , will meet our future needs . WSSC is currently evaluating the siting of multiple new reservoir locations to ensure that the system can meet reduced flow
10 plenty I autumn harvest 2024