Last fall, Loudoun County supervisors backed conceptual plans for new water and sewer lines that would connect two historic rural villages facing public health concerns.
Last night, community members aired a series of objections to the proposal during a standing-room-only meeting at Rust Library in Leesburg.
The project is rooted in decades-long concerns about the high concentration of drinking water wells—many poorly performing—and aging or inadequate sewage disposal systems in the communities.
In Waterford, the issue was partially addressed in the late 1970s with the construction of public sewer system and a sewage treatment plant designed to reduce the potential for well contamination in the village. However, nearly a half century later, concerns remain over the quality and quantity of water available to residents.
Paeonian Springs is one of Loudoun’s earliest subdivisions, established in the 1870s as a resort attracting visitors to its healing springs. Today, the community has approximately 130 active wells and on-site wastewater systems serving homes on small lots. The tight proximity of the aging systems is a recipe for drinking water contamination.
Addressing the public health concerns in the villages began as individual projects, envisioning the construction of a public water system in Waterford and new community water and wastewater systems in Paeonian Springs.
As the county’s consultants were looking at the options, challenges in finding well sources in Waterford and the presence of an existing wastewater treatment plant there led to the idea of connecting the systems. That concept would require construction of a single water plant to serve both villages and an expansion of the sewage treatment plant that already is scheduled for an upgrade to meet new standards. The estimated $60 million price tag would be in line with the cost projections for individual village systems, according to the report.
Residents gathered Monday night for the community meeting led by County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) and Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) and raised numerous questions about the project, including costs property owners would face to hook into the systems, the impacts the project could have on other wells in the area already affected by drought and falling groundwater levels, the potential to spur more development in and in between the villages, and the disruption and damage that would be done in the pipeline corridor along Clarkes Gap Road, a state-designated scenic byway. Speakers questioned whether the planners had enough data on the performance of existing wells and wastewater systems to adequately assess the breadth problem and whether smaller-scale solutions would meet the need.
Repeatedly, members of the audience expressed frustration with communication about the project and sought to have more involvement with the discussions.
While acknowledging that the county can improve on its outreach to residents on the project, Randall said that the board would not compromise on public health.
“As the county chair, I don't care if it's one person or 500 people that don't have water, I need everyone to have safe water,” she said. “… I'm going to make sure people have safe water no matter what.”
Noting that health concerns in the villages date back to the 1960s, before she was born, Randall said the county is not rushing to push the project through and no final decisions have been made.
“I will say this as an elected official, one of the most frustrating things for me is to put something out over and over and over and over and over again, and then people say, ‘Why you're rushing?’ I realize people have lives, and you're not paying attention to what we're doing, because why would you we're not that interesting,” she said. “But we're also not rushing stuff through. I mean, we're trying to do the right thing. It is clear that our communication and how much communication we've done needs to be redoubled, and when that effort is redoubled, maybe some of those numbers coming back to us will be different. We can commit to that.”
While the planning team assesses the next steps for design and public outreach, residents are encouraged to share their comments through an online portal.
Additionally, Randall encouraged attendees to reach out to her directly at her email [email protected].
“You're here because you're worried about something,” she said, asking them to provide her with more information about their individual concerns.
Learn more about the project at loudoun.gov/interconnectedwaterproject.
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