The City is always looking for potential properties that qualify as "recharge acreage." This is something all municipalities must have, as it allows water to naturally seep into the ground and fill the City’s aquifer.
City Manager Jim Wieprecht explained that Frederick County has recently secured "recharge easements" (currently in agriculture preservation) that legally protect water recharge areas from development. Some of these potential properties already sit within Taneytown’s Piney Creek and Town Creek aquifers.
Wieprecht said there is enough land to offset what the State says is the City’s current deficiency, however the City will need to acquire more in order to have more development. "This will balance it," he said.
Years ago, the County dedicated a property on Bark Hill Road near Francis Scott Key High School which allowed the City to increase their water allocation for wells 15 and 16 in the Carroll Vista development.
Another option to increase the City’s recharge acreage is for private properties to join in on agriculture preservation. Besides adding to the recharge acreage, they can still develop, if desired. Wieprecht explained that if a property has an "off conveyance" (the ability to construct housing for anyone necessary for the operation of a farm), a recharge easement would ensure that a certain percent (typically 75-80%) of the property be usable for recharge purposes. "For example, for a 50-acre farm with a couple of ‘off conveyances,’ if we take 75% or 80% of the recharge, they will what?"
When the City buys recharge acreage, the cost is passed on to the builders and developers, including an increase in impact fees which cover the public services and infrastructure needs, such as new schools, parks, and roads.
Wieprecht explained that years ago, the City required the developer to cover 100% of the costs associated with finding, developing, and making the land available. With Meades Crossing, the City Code required the developer to provide a well that produced a certain number of gallons a minute. The concern here was that once that number was reached, if the City asked them to drill deeper, then who was responsible for the additional cost?
However, the City "swung the other way" and made itself 100% responsible for their water sources. This meant that all cost was paid up front and once in demand, the cost was then sold to the developer.
As of now, the City does not have enough required recharge acreage for the entire proposed Mountain Brook development. According to Wieprecht, phase one of the development would be covered but no other phases. In order to legally "own" the rights to the water on the properties, the County will need to sign a "memorandum of understanding," which is an agreement signaling the intent by the County to dedicate the land to the City.
The next hurdle is to finalize the ‘memorandum of understanding’ (MOU) with the County. An MOU in this case is an agreement signaling the intent to dedicate the land to the city. Property owners that interested in signing their farms up for agriculture preservation and potentially as recharge acreage can contact the City for more information.
