Poolesville

There is a vacancy on the Planning Commission, and The Town is currently seeking applicants for this position. Applications must be received by March 15th. The Planning Commission consists of 5 town residents, of which one is a Commissioner of Poolesville who serves in an ex officio capacity. The volunteer members serve a 5-year term and meet on the 2nd Wednesday of each month (for more information, click here).

To apply for this position, please fill out the application in the link below, and the Town Commissioners will interview you at a closed session of the Commission. If you have any questions, please contact Town Hall at [email protected]. https://www.poolesvillemd.gov/formcenter/volunteer-application-9/application-for-appointment-to-boards-an-59

Town of Poolesville staff and consultants continue to monitor and research treatment options to remove the PFAS from drinking water wells, according to an update on the town website. This comes approximately two months after PFAS were detected in the water samples collected from wells 2 and 3 approximately two months ago. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are a group of over 5,000 human made compounds. Used since the 1940s, PFAS compounds can be in a wide range of consumer and industrial products and processes. PFAS released to the air, soils, ground- or surface water can enter into nearby drinking water sources.

Per the Town of Poolesville: Wells #2 and #3 remain offline. We are sampling all wells with the assistance of Senior Scientist Kathy Mihm, EPA and MDE. We have also identified a Granular Activated Carbon Filtration System that can be sized and used on the 2 wells. We are in the process of obtaining permission from MDE to pilot test the treatment system and identify the parameters needed for data collection. The process is rather slow as this is new to MDE so we are at the mercy of their timetable.

At the February 6th Town Commissioners meeting, the Commissioners formally adopted Ordinance 224, which allows for keeping backyard chickens. To comply with the ordinance, residents who have chickens or would like to purchase them must apply for a permit and submit a site plan and a Chicken Keeper Certificate. The site plan and applications must abide by the following regulations:

A maximum of six chickens may be kept. Roosters are prohibited.

“This is an exciting time for Poolesville as we are embarking  on several fronts to foster conservation, smart energy and green initiatives. A pilot project consisting of LED streetlight installation is just another way that we are able to demonstrate how even a small Town such as ours can champion green initiatives.”

The LED streetlight replacement project along Wootton Avenue in the Wesmond Subdivision allows the Town to replace the oldest streetlights, a mix of mercury and sodium, with much more efficient fixtures. The lighting is much improved and with the new “dark sky” compliant fixtures that specifically direct light downward, allows us to reduce light pollution.

Per the Town of Poolesville: “In Poolesville’s water system, elevated levels of PFOA or PFOS were detected in the water samples collected from Well 2 and Well 3. A Tier 2 Public Health Advisory Notice was mailed to every resident. While there are no national or state Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for PFAS in drinking water, the EPA released interim health advisories for PFOA and PFOS. For this reason, we have taken Wells 2 and 3 offline.” Full press release available below:

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are a group of over 5,000 human made compounds. Used since the 1940s, PFAS compounds can be in a wide range of consumer and industrial products and processes. PFAS released to the air, soils, ground- or surface water can enter into nearby drinking water sources. To assess the presence of PFAS in state drinking water sources, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has initiated an assessment from 137 selected Community Water Systems. These Community Water Systems were selected by the proximity, number, and type of potential sources of PFAS MDE mapped over 2,000 potential sources of PFAS in Maryland. The 2,000 potential sources include military installations, fire training areas, airports, landfills, manufacturing facilities, and wastewater treatment plants.