The new Charlotte Hall elevated Water Storage Tower (WST) near the Maryland Transit Administration Park and Ride Facility on MD Route 6 will serve the Charlotte Hall Town Center. (Photo courtesy of MetCom)CALIFORNIA, Md. (January 12, 2018)—The Metropolitan Commission (MetCom) provides public water and sewer services to portions of St. Mary's County. MetCom operates 28 water supply and distribution systems throughout the county, including 67 wells, which supplied approximately 1.4 billion gallons of water in fiscal year 2017. Likewise, MetCom owns and operates 5 wastewater treatment facilities that treated a combined average of 1.5 billion gallons—an average of over 240,000 gallons of waste per day in fiscal year 2017. MetCom also manages two private sewage treatment facilities under operating agreements with the owners of the facilities.
Recently added to the system are two new elevated water storage towers and associated production wells located in Hollywood and Charlotte Hall. These facilities are currently in the final phases of construction close-out. Both projects will be completed under budget and will include state-of-the art radio communication technology.
The new Hollywood elevated Water Storage Tower (WST) near the Broad Creek and Twin Ponds subdivisions will serve the Hollywood Town Center. This particular tower will provide 500,000 gallons of storage and a 400 gallon per minute (gpm) well. The new facility will ensure adequate fire suppression, improve water pressure, and provide additional storage to support planned growth in the area. The approved capital construction budget was $3.486M and was funded through a low interest loan from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The Water Appropriations and Use Permit was obtained from Maryland Department of the Environment's (MDE) Water Management Administration. MDE's Certification of Potability for the well was obtained on November 6, 2017. Water quality testing for the storage tank has been completed and the facility was placed into operation on December 27, 2017 by MetCom staff, contractor Caldwell Tanks, Inc., and designer WRL.
The new Charlotte Hall elevated Water Storage Tower (WST) near the Maryland Transit Administration Park and Ride Facility on MD Route 6 will serve the Charlotte Hall Town Center. This particular tower will provide 400,000 gallons of storage and a 250 gpm well. The new facility will ensure adequate fire suppression, address storage lost due to damage to ground storage and provide storage for domestic use. The Charlotte Hall Town Center has reached the density required for an elevated water storage tank. The approved capital construction budget was $3.107M and was also funded through a low interest loan from the DHCD. This facility is expected to be placed into operation in the very near future.
"We are very pleased at the recent progress of these two projects, but are now pressing forward to begin the construction of a much larger $6.297M water storage tank in Hickory Hills that was approved in prior years," stated George Erichsen, MetCom's Executive Director. "The new two million gallon storage facility has an approved budget of $6.297M and is funded through a low interest loan from the DHCD." Final land acquisition was completed in November, 2017 and construction is anticipated in the late spring, 2018, following final site plan approval and the formal bidding process.
To learn more about MetCom projects, visit www.metcom.org and choose Capital Improvement Projects under the Engineering tab.