Metropolitan Commission (MetCom) News Briefs


Metropolitan Commission Announces Selection of New Chief Engineer

The St. Mary's County Metropolitan Commission has selected Maria "Christy" Hollander, P.E., as its new Chief Engineer effective October 26, 2017.

Hollander has been working for the Metropolitan Commission since August 2008. She has served as the acting Chief Engineer since November, 2016. She is also a member of the Leonardtown Planning and Zoning Board.

Hollander's duties include full oversight of the Engineering Department, which entails development review, permitting, capital project design and management, construction and inspection, along with the administration of a multitude of service contracts.

Prior to coming to the Metropolitan Commission, Hollander was employed with private engineering firms, most recently as a senior designer at Loiderman Soltesz Associates, Inc.

"Ms. Hollander brings a wealth of corporate knowledge and energy to the position", said John Carey, Metropolitan Commission Board Chairman. Hollander holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Maryland. Additionally, she holds a Masters in Project Management from the University of Maryland University College. Alice Gaskin, Metropolitan Commission Board Member said, "Ms. Hollander has gained the trust and respect of her co-workers and will be a tremendous asset to us going forward."

MetCom Continues To Meet or Exceed Water Quality Testing Requirements

As a part of recent upgrades to the Marlay-Taylor Water Reclamation Facility, a new state-of-the art wastewater laboratory was constructed. This full service lab meets or exceeds all Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) requirements for wastewater laboratory testing, including accuracy testing on Discharge Monitoring Report Quality Assurance (DMRQA) and Standard Methods in the Examination of Water and Wastewater. George Erichsen, MetCom's Executive Director stated that, "We are very proud of the work that our collections, distribution, laboratory and operations / maintenance staff does each and every day to ensure our facilities comply with State and Federal regulations." The Commission is also working toward obtaining a formal State Certified Drinking Water Laboratory designation from the MDE for its facility located at the Larry K. Petty Building.

Drinking Water. In fiscal year 2017, approximately 1,350 drinking water samples were collected and analyzed by MetCom staff to determine compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. These samples were tested by a third party laboratory and monitor parameters such as bacteria (coliform), lead / copper (triennially), arsenic, fluoride, nitrates, metals and disinfection byproducts. pH levels are monitored monthly (612 samples) while chlorine concentrations are analyzed twice per week (5,304 samples) by in-house operations staff in each of our 28 systems that include 51 water pumping stations for submission to the MDE. MDE also conducts periodic quality assurance testing and compliance site visits. The 2016 Annual Water Quality Reports may be viewed on the MetCom website at www.metcom.org. Select the Water Quality Reports option under the Operations tab.

Watershed Protection. In addition to drinking water sampling, over 25,500 wastewater analyses were conducted in FY 2017 at each of MetCom's five (5) wastewater treatment plants and two (2) additional facilities operated by MetCom to determine compliance with the federal Clean Water Act. Water quality tests are performed on water entering and leaving each treatment process at the plants and throughout the Commission's distribution system. These analyses consisted of parameters such as bacteria (coliform), bio-chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen, phosphorus, suspended solids, pH, dissolved oxygen, acids, alkalinity and chlorine concentrations. The state and federal testing and analyses requirements under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits help ensure the quality of the effluent being released into receiving surface waters.

If you are interested in working in our lab and to learn more about possible internships with MetCom, please visit our website at www.metcom.org and select the Open Positions option under the Human Resources tab.

MetCom to Hold Information Meeting November 29

The St. Mary's County Metropolitan Commission will hold a Public Informational Meeting on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at MetCom's Administrative Offices, located at 23121 Camden Way, California, Maryland to discuss the following projects:

Interceptor Sewer Rehabilitation, Pine Hill Run Road Project No. 8152SR includes the replacement of a portion of existing 33-inch diameter sanitary sewer line with new 42-inch diameter sanitary sewer line. This section of pipe runs along the alignment of Pine Hill Run Road from Forest Park Road to the Marlay-Taylor Wastewater Reclamation Facility. The proposed sewer line will provide increased capacity and provide new service life to a portion of the sewer system built in the late 1960's.

King Kennedy Water System Replacement Phase 1, Production Well Project No. 3-1-W is MetCom's first phase of King Kennedy's water rehabilitation and replacement efforts. This phase of the project includes the installation of a new 150 Gallons Per Minute (GPM) Patapsco Aquifer well located on the corner of Independence Drive and King Drive. The existing 70 GPM well will remain in service as a backup in the event the new well has to be placed out of service. This new well will provide a more reliable source of public water.

The plans and specifications for the referenced projects may be inspected at the time of the meeting or at MetCom's Engineering Department located at the address above, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

All interested persons are invited to attend this Public Informational Meeting to ask questions regarding these projects. Please contact the Metropolitan Commission offices at 301.737.7400, Ext. 301 or engineering@metcom.org for more information, or if you cannot attend the meeting and would like to provide comment.

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