Master Plan Will Study Options For County-Run Infrastructure System

SALISBURY – As the development of a master plan continues, Wicomico officials discussed the implementation of countywide water and sewer.

Late last month, the Wicomico County Council met with George, Miles & Buhr representatives Peter Bozick and Katherine McAllister to discuss an ongoing master plan for implementing a countywide water and sewer infrastructure system.

“This goes far into the future because when you build water and sewer infrastructure the intent is that it’s going to be there 50 to 100 years from now,” Bozick said. “So we’re looking that far out. We’re looking at the future growth of the county.”

A master plan for countywide water and sewer began in the spring of 2019, nearly four years after the county conducted a feasibility study identifying ways to provide sewer service to homes with failing septic systems on the east side of Wicomico.

While the county does not own its own water and sewer facilities, Bozick told council members this week the master plan would outline a process for constructing, maintaining and financing a countywide system.

“If you think it is in your best interest to get into the water and sewer business, to what level will you get into the water and sewer business, and what structure will you use?” he said.

Bozick told the council the master plan would provide a roadmap of sorts for offering water and sewer service to county residents. Councilman Joe Holloway noted Wicomico’s eastside could be a starting point.

“It seems to be that’s where we are having the most severe issues,” he said. “We have some homes in those neighborhoods that can’t even put in septic systems … We have to start somewhere. That was probably a good place to start.”

Officials noted the most feasible approach was to extend water and sewer from municipal systems to county properties, but that could require annexation.

Councilman John Cannon questioned how the county could implement countywide water and sewer with public support.

“I’m afraid you are going to get a huge resistance from the public,” he said. “They’ll scream and yell about their septic not working, but when you tell them ‘you now have to pay for water and sewer, which you haven’t paid in the last fifty years’ … You have to have permission to implement this hook-up. How are you going to create that carrot?”

Bozick said it would be the county’s responsibility to give residents their options and the associated costs.

“Their most cost-effective option may be to annex,” he said.

McAllister said GMB had reached out to each municipality with water and sewer systems, as well as the local health department to identify areas with failing septic systems. She said her task was to determine the feasibility of expanding municipal water and sewer into the county.

“If you look at the areas we have recommended for a central system, basically this whole county is going to have 23 million gallons of septic flow,” she said.

Bozick told the council it would take another six months to complete a draft master plan. In the meantime, he said GMB would conduct workshops and field visits, among other things.

“It’s going to be a win-win for everybody,” he said, “if we do it right.”

About The Author: Bethany Hooper

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Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.