Never a Dull Moment – Water “Wars” in Maryland

There are many waterways across the United States that are nationally recognized, including San Francisco Bay, the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. Maryland is also home to a waterway that is a truly national asset – the Chesapeake Bay. While the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed extends beyond the Free State’s borders, a good part of both are within Maryland. Furthermore, with the greatest deference to the Old Dominion, the Chesapeake is synonymous with Maryland. The Chesapeake and its tributaries are also a source of commerce and recreation for countless residents and visitors alike here. In addition, its various tributaries, including the Potomac River (also located within Maryland, much to the chagrin of more than a few Virginians), is a primary source of raw drinking water for many residents.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that any potential impact on the Chesapeake Bay and its major tributaries (like the Potomac) are often a major source of controversy. Some involved in a given dispute may on protecting these irreplaceable resources. Other may focus more on concerns that a specific “protection” protection effort is either unnecessary and/or intrudes on other important considerations (i.e. property rights). While these such intense debates are among those that the General Assembly contends with annually, many such disputes at least start or remain at the local level. A brief survey of such debates in three counties here are salient examples.

On Kent Island in Queen Anne’s County, a debate has waged for a long, long time over a proposed development’s impact on the Chesapeake. The debate has engulfed not only the good folks of Kent Island, but also the Maryland Board of Public Works, whose duties include authorizing tidal wetlands licenses.  One member of the Board, Comptroller Peter Franchot, is among those consistently opposed to the project. News last month that heavy sediment from the development at issue had drained into Macum Creek, a tributary of the Chester River (and part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed), has now drawn the attention of the Maryland Department of the Environment. It has also reignited the debate among supporters and opponents of the project locally. 

Last Summer, in a very close vote, the Charles County Board of Commissioners approved a Watershed Conservation District, which restricts development in the Mattawoman Creek area. The prudency of such a potential action was a source of contention in that southern Maryland county for years. Yet another local example of “water wars” in Maryland is the debate over a potential natural gas pipeline crossing under the Potomac River into Washington County. That issue has drawn passionate attention locally and in Annapolis. Finally, Frederick County is embroiled in an ongoing debate over the update of the Monocacy Scenic River Management Plan. Carroll County will also have to approve that update, where it is no less controversial. 

The examples above are hardly exhaustive. Rather, they are among many examples in Maryland of not only the passion in such debates, but also how strongly these issues manifest themselves locally. This the case whether the State is involved or not. The examples above also illustrate that water quality debates are not restricted to one part of the state. 

Impacts on Maryland’s waterways from a variety of activities are inevitable. Whether such impact is positive or negative, is a matter of perspective. It’s the different perspectives on these matters and their importance to those on either side of a given dispute that spark the “water wars” going on regularly throughout the Old Line State.