Water & Sewer Commission

Town of Mount Airy Water and Sewer Commission Meeting Minutes February 3, 2021 Commission members in attendance: Chair Dick Swanson, Council Liaison Larry Hushour, John Cherry, Dave Difonzo and Mark Moxley. Ron Runkles was an excused absence. The meeting was called to order at 7:01. Also attending were Director of Planning & Zoning and Assistant Town Engineer Chaslyn Derexson. The meeting was virtual due to closing of Town Hall. Minutes: Mark Moxley moved to approve the minutes of the January 6, 2021 meeting. Seconded by John Cherry and the motion passed unanimously. Announcement: Dick Swanson announced that Council President Larry Hushour read a statement at Monday evening's Town Council meeting stating that at its January meeting the IDA voted to terminate Harrison-Leishear property annexation discussions with the Town. Larry Hushour spoke briefly to the commission about his reaction to the this unanticipated development. Old Business: 1. Rainfall/WWTP Update: The members review the Well/POE/WWTP flows for January 2021 and Dick Swanson noted that the WWTP flow seemed high relative to the well and POE numbers considering the limited rainfall during the month. He stated that daily WWTP flow readings for January, supplied by Terry Driver plant operator, showed that during any single rain event the flow rate may remain high for several days after the storm. And it can impact the monthly gpd flow which is what happened in January. John Cherry asked for the monthly flow data over the past several years to look for any similar trends. Dick Swanson will send calendar years 2018, 2019 & 2020 monthly data to the members. 2. Review of “Water Use Limitation Tiers”: Dick Swanson reported that the Town Council recommended forwarding the Water Use Limitation policy to the Mayor for his signature. Thanks to John Cherry for all his work in developing this thorough review and comprehensive update to the 2007 policy. New Business: 1. Senate Bill 195 – PFAS Chemical Prohibitions & Requirements: Dick Swanson informed the members that the Maryland legislature is considering a bill to ban the use of PFAS chemicals used in some types of fire fighting foam as well as many other products. John Cherry listed several uses of PFAS in everyday products and the serious toxic nature of this class of chemicals. Dick Swanson stated that this will help alleviate the risk of contamination of the wells and stormwater system. 2. January Water Bills: Dick Swanson mentioned the delay in receiving January's water bill was due to Postal Service issues and weather, therefore, late fees will be waived. 3. Memorandum of Agreement – Stormwater Remediation: The Chair stated that the Maryland Department of Environment has not issued the new MS4 stormwater remediation requirements to be incorporated in the next permit. It remains unclear what impact MDE's remediation requirements may have on Carroll County and the eight municipalities MOA. Until requirements are clarified, the WRCC will work on updating the administrative sections of the MOA.  4. Master Plan Update: John Breeding advised the commission that the Town plans to solicit input from commissions during the Master Plan update. He will facilitate the coordination with W&S during the review. He will keep us advised as the details are worked out. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 7:36. The next W&S meeting is March 3, 2021 at 7pm.