[Call to Order]
[00:00:41]
GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE FEBRUARY, 2026 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. PRESENT TONIGHT ARE COMMISSION MEMBERS... VICE CHAIRPERSON HANNAH CAWLEY, MEMBER KEITH BILBROW, ROGER MCKNIGHT, AND MYSELF, JEFF JACKSON, AS THE CHAIRMAN. ALSO PRESENT ARE STAFF MEMBERS FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION OFFICE AND THE COUNTY ATTORNEY. FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE 2026
[2026 Caroline County Rural Legacy Area Prioritization]
CAROLINE COUNTY RURAL LEGACY AREA PRIORITATION. AND THERE IS A STAFF REPORT. WOULD YOU PLEASE? AND AS YOU TALK, WILL YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE MEMBERS? THANK YOU. (INAUDIBLE) SO WE HAVE A STAFF REPORT FOR THE RURAL LEGACY (INAUDIBLE) THIS IS THE BACKGROUND FOR (INAUDIBLE) FOR THE CAROLINE AREA. (INAUDIBLE) ISN'T THIS SOMETHING WE GO OVER EVERY YEAR? LIKE, ONCE A YEAR? AND I'VE PROBABLY ASKED THIS QUESTION BEFORE, BUT WHO CHOSE THESE AREAS? LIKE RURAL LEGACY? YOU MEAN, WHO DESIGNATED THE ACTUAL AREAS? THE STATE DNR, OFFICE OF DNR, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LOCAL LAND TRUST, WHICH IS EASTERN SHORE LAND[00:05:01]
CONSERVANCY IN OUR CASE.TUCKAHOE WAS DESIGNATED, OBVIOUSLY TO CAPTURE THE LANDS THAT RUN ALONG THE TUCKAHOE AND IN THE TUCKAHOE WATERSHED. THE EASTERN SHORE HERITAGE AREA ISN'T QUITE AS CLEAR TO ME HOW THEY DETERMINE THE BOUNDARIES.
I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST, THEY HAVE MORE INTEREST IN THAT RURAL LEGACY AREA THAN THEY DO IN THE TUCKAHOE AND EASTERN SHORE. LAND. CONSERVANCY ISN'T SURE WHY. THEY CAN'T POINT TO ANY SPECIFIC THING THAT THEY'RE HEARING FROM LANDOWNERS. THEY JUST HAVE MORE INTEREST IN THE SOUTHERN END OF THE COUNTY. SO THEY DESIGNATE THEM BASED ON WHERE THERE'S EXISTING EASEMENTS THROUGH EITHER RURAL LEGACY, THE FORMER BOUNDARIES OF THE RURAL LEGACY AREAS, AND ALSO THE SUCCESS OF HOW MALF IS DOING IN THOSE AREAS. AND BOTH PROGRAMS HAVE THE SAME GOAL, WHICH IS TO TRY AND GET CONTIGUOUS PRESERVATION. SO THEY TRY TO SURROUND ALREADY PRESERVED FARMS WITH MORE OPPORTUNITIES SO THAT THAT CONTINUES, AND THEY GET BLOCKS OF PRESERVED LAND. I KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THEY LOOK AT.
LIKE, HAS IT CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? THEY HAD A BIG, THEY DOUBLED IN SIZE ABOUT FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO.
THEY HAD NOT CHANGED FOR YEARS. LIKE, WHEN I GOT HERE IN 2008, THEY HAD BEEN THE SMALLER AREAS, ABOUT HALF AS BIG AS THEY ARE NOW, FOR YEARS, BECAUSE THERE WAS VERY LITTLE MONEY IN THE PROGRAM. AND THEN THE STATE INFUSED THEM WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY, AND THEY APPLIED TO EXPAND THE AREAS, AND THE STATE APPROVED IT, AND THEY BASICALLY DOUBLED THE SIZE OF EACH ONE OF THEM. AND THEY DID THAT STATEWIDE, I THINK, IN ALL THE RURAL LEGACY AREAS, KIND OF SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY.
(INAUDIBLE) THEY DID, YEAH, THEY HAD, LIKE, LAST YEAR, HE SAID, THEY SEEM TO HAVE MORE INTEREST BUBBLING UP. AND HE WAS WONDERING IF IT WAS SOLAR THAT WAS MAKING PEOPLE COME IN TO LOOK FOR A WAY TO PRESERVE IT.
ALTERNATIVE. YEAH, AND THEY'RE VERY CAREFUL TO... THEY WANT TO, SINCE THEY HAVE MONEY AND MALF HAS MONEY, IF YOU ARE IN, YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE RURAL LEGACY AREA TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A RURAL LEGACY EASEMENT.
SO THEY TRY TO TELL, YOU KNOW, THEY DO BLANKET PROMO.
TO SAY, IF YOU'RE IN THIS AREA, YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES FOR EASEMENTS, BUT TO SAVE THAT MALF MONEY FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T IN A RURAL LEGACY AREA, WE HOPE YOU'LL COME AND DO OUR PROGRAM SO THAT THE MALF MONEY CAN GO TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. SO THEY'RE REALLY GOOD AT, EASTERN SHORE LAND CONSERVANCY IS REALLY GOOD AT COORDINATING THE EFFORT TO TRY AND GET THE MONEY AS FAR AS IT CAN GO. YEAH. OF COURSE, NOW THEY'LL HAVE NO BUDGET FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, SO IT'S KIND OF DISMAL. LIKE, LITERALLY ZERO? YEAH. WELL, I THINK THEY HAVE A SMALL BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING CYCLE. AND BEYOND THAT, THEY WERE ZEROED OUT. SO WE'LL SEE IF THAT CHANGES AT ALL.
YOUR COMMENTS IS? THE PROGRAM REQUIRES THE COUNTY TO SUBMIT A LETTER, STAFF RECOMMENDS DESIGNATING THE TUCKAHOE RLA AS A PRIORITY.
I KNOW THE LETTER READS BOTH OF THEM. IS THAT? WELL, WE ONLY HAVE TWO AREAS, SO HERE'S THE PROIRITY, NUMBER ONE IS THE TUCKAHOE.
OKAY. AND IF THERE IS ENOUGH MONEY FOR BOTH... OKAY.
BUT TUCKAHOE IS THE PRIORITY AND THEY WILL EVALUATE IT BECAUSE I BLIEVE LAST YEAR (INAUDIBLE) TUCKAHOE AS WELL SO THEY'LL CONSIDER WHAT THE COUNTY WANTS, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'LL PICK THAT FOR THE PRIORITY.
THEY HAVE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY LOOK AT, INCLUDING IF THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE EASTERN SHORE AREA, RURAL LEGACY AREA, WHO HAVE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST AND ARE ACTIVELY TRYING TO GET AN EASEMENT, BUT NOBODY IN TUCKAHOE, THEY MAY OPT TO PRIORITIZE THE OTHER ONE INSTEAD. BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE EFFORT MADE TO TRY AND GET MORE EASEMENT ACTION IN THE TUCKAHOE RURAL LEGACY AREA. DO THEY TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE ADJACENT COUNTIES AND WHAT AREAS ARE IN THE ADJACENT COUNTIES? SINCE THESE BOUNDARIES TEND TO BRUSH UP AGAINST THEM.
BRUSH UP AGAINST THEM. SURE, I MEAN, CONTIGUOUS IS CONTIGUOUS,
[00:10:01]
YEAH. WHICH IN AND ALL OF THESE BORDER NOT BY ACCIDENT OTHER COUNTIES. SO THAT IS A THAT IS ONE OF THE GOALS. YEAH, BECAUSE, LIKE TUCKER, HAS A BIG BORDER THERE FOR QUEENIANS. I MEAN, IN THE AG COMMUNITY, I DON'T HEAR MUCH CHATTER ABOUT THIS PROGRAM VERSUS MALF, BUT IT'S A COMPLICATED PROCESS.EASIER. IT'S AN EASIER PROCESS, THAT'S COMPARABLE MONEY. AND LESS RESTRICTIONS ON YOUR PROPERTY BECAUSE THEY AREN'T LIKE, MALF REALLY WANTS YOU TO STAY IN AG, LIKE FOR REAL AG, EASTERN SHORE, LINCOLN, OR RURAL LEGACY, WANTS RURAL LAND PRESERVES, SO THEY'RE NOT AS BENT ON MAKING SURE THAT IT'S AG, AND ONLY AG, AND ALWAYS AG.
AND THAT'S ALL WE WANT TO SEE ON THERE. THEY'RE A LITTLE LESS RESTRICTIVE THAN MALF IS, SO YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD HAVE MORE INTEREST, AND ANYBODY WHO CALLS THAT I TALK TO, I ALWAYS LOOK TO SEE IF THEY'RE IN A RURAL LEGACY AREA, AND I ALWAYS URGE THEM TO GET A HOLD OF ESLC TO TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THAT PROGRAM AS WELL.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE. ANYTHING? ANYTHING? I'M LOOKING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU'RE LOOKING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
TRYING TO SEE WHICH ONE YOU GONNA FLY FOR? I'M JUST LOOKING AT MY NEIGHBORHOOD. WELL, YOU GOT A CHOICE, YOU CAN PRESERVE THE FARMLAND OR PUT SOLAR PANELS. OR DIG A HOLE, YOU RIGHT THERE WHERE THEY DIGGING HOLES. YOU GOT NO COPY OF THAT BROCHURE YOU BROUGHT IN.
LOOK, YOU RIGHT THERE WHERE THEY DIGGING HOLES. YEAH, YEAH.
ALRIGHT, IF NOBODY HAS ANYTHING ELSE, DID EVERYBODY GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE LETTER? THIS IS SOMETHING WE LOOK AT EVERY YEAR, THE PROGRAMS, AND IT'S THE AREAS THAT WE WANT TO PRESERVE. IF NOBODY, IF EVERYBODY'S COMFORTABLE WITH THE LETTER, HAS NO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LETTER. I MAKE A MOTION TO FORWARD THE ATTACHED LETTER FOR THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO REVIEW AND SEND TO THE RURAL LEGACY PROGRAM. IS THE MOTION SECOND? SECOND. SECOND FROM MR. BILBROW. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? THOSE SAYING? HEARING NONE.
THAT MOTION PASSED. YOU HAVE YOUR LETTER FOR THE COMMISSIONERS TO DO AT THEIR NEXT MEETING. NOW, LET'S GO BACK TO THE AGENDA.
[Priority Preservation Area Chapter - Final Draft]
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, ARE YOU JUST GONNA KEEP RIGHT ON GOING? WHO DOES, OH, LESLIE'S GONNA DO THIS ONE.THE NEXT ONE ON THE AGENDA IS THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. IT'S THE FINAL DRAFT. WE HAD THE PRESERVATION AREA CHARTER, CHAPTER. PRIORITY PRESERVATION AREA CHAPTER.
MISS LESLIE, AND YOUR STAFF LETTER IS JUST. SO, THIS IS THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE PRIORITY PRESERVATION AREA CHAPTER.
WHEN WE WENT THROUGH IT BACK IN DECEMBER, IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS SIX MONTHS AGO, YOU ALL HAD SOME COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS, AND WE FOUND A COUPLE OF EDITS THAT WERE NECESSARY.
SO WE WENT BACK IN AND I MADE THOSE ADDITIONS IN THE TEXT. AND CORRECTED A COUPLE OF THE MAPPING ERRORS ON THE SOLAR FACILITIES MAP.
YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDED MAKING THE REVIEW OF THE PPA A REGULAR PROCESS EVERY FIVE YEARS TO LOOK AT PROPERTIES THAT HAVE COME UNDER PERMANENT EASEMENT THAT CAN BE TAKEN OUT. AND ANY CHANGES THAT YOU ALL WANT TO ENTERTAIN TO EXPAND THE AREA OR REDUCE IT. AND THEN ALSO...
ADDING SOME CRITERIA TO THE COUNTY'S RANKING OF EASEMENT APPLICATIONS.
TO INCLUDE EXTRA POINTS FOR PROXIMITY TO BOTH LOCATION IN THE PRIORITY PRESERVATION AREA AND PROXY PROXIMITY TO TRANSMISSION LINES. SO, CATHERINE OUR AG PLANNER HAS
[00:15:03]
BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THE MALF OFFICE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE GO ABOUT THAT PROCESS OF ADDING NEW CRITERIA TO OUR RANKING. AND OF COURSE, IT'S A LENGTHY PROCESS AND AND IT WILL TAKE THE BETTER PART OF THE YEAR.BECAUSE IT GOES. WE'LL HAVE TO FORMALLY DRAFT IT AS PART OF THE APPLICATION, RUN IT THROUGH YOU ALL. AND IT GOES TO THE AG ADVISORY BOARD FOR THEIR COMMENTS AND ANY EDITS THAT THEY WANT TO MAKE. AND THEN IT GETS SENT UP TO THE MALF OFFICE FOR THEIR REVIEW, AND THEN IT GOES BEFORE THE MALF BOARD. AND ONCE IT GOES UP TO THE STATE, IF THEY HAVE CORRECTIONS OR CHANGES THEY WANT TO MAKE, IT WOULD COME BACK DOWN TO US TO START OVER, YOU KNOW, INCORPORATE THERE, YEAH, SO THERE. THEY ANTICIPATE BEING US, BEING ABLE TO GET THROUGH ALL THAT BY THE END OF THE YEAR. AND SO WE WOULD USE THE NEW CRITERIA IN THE NEXT ROUND, NEXT YEAR'S ROUND OF MALP APPLICATIONS. SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT, THAT MEANS WE WANT TO START ON THAT SUMMER, IN THE SUMMER? OH, DEFINITELY, YEAH. SO CATHERINE WILL HEAD THAT UP AND THEN COME BACK BEFORE YOU TO SHOW YOU, BUT IT'LL ESSENTIALLY BE THESE ITEMS HERE THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED. THE AG ADVISORY BOARD MIGHT HAVE SOME EXTRA INPUT FOR THINGS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE. ADDED. SO WE'LL SEE WHAT SHE COMES BACK TO US WITH. BUT THAT'LL BE ON THE AGENDA LATER ON THIS YEAR. IT'S PROBABLY BEEN A WHILE SINCE THAT'S BEEN OVERHAULED.
YES. YES. I FEEL LIKE I WAS ON THE BOARD WHEN WE DID AN OVERHAUL. WHAT DID THEY SAY, 2010? RIGHT, IT STILL HAS THE OLD AG DISTRICTS IN IT, WHICH ARE NO LONGER A THING, RANKING FOR THAT. THERE WAS SOME PRIORITY, PRESERVATION AREA, LANGUAGE IN IT. THAT, I THINK, WAS ADOPTED BACK IN 2012 BY THE STATE THAT WAS INCORPORATED IN THE STATE'S APPLICATION FOR POINTS. BUT WE CAN ADD TO THOSE POINTS IN OUR OWN CRITERIA FOR RANKING. BUT YEAH, IT'S PRETTY MUCH BEEN JUST A STATIC LIST OF CRITERIA FOR, LIKE, DECADES. I THINK WE'RE TALKING DECADES. SO IT'S TIME FOR A LITTLE BIT OF A REFRESH. SO THIS IS FINAL DRAFT. AND IF YOU ALL, UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY OTHER ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS YOU WANT TO MAKE, THEN WE WOULD PUT THIS IN THE FINAL DRAFT DOCUMENT.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CAN'T MAKE EDITS OR CHANGES BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN WE SUBMIT UP TO THE STATE. AND WE'LL BE WALKING THROUGH ALL OF THEM ONE MORE TIME BEFORE WE DO. SO ANYTHING THAT WE, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS DONE, WE'LL BE KIND OF LOOKING AT EVERYTHING. ONE MORE TIME TO SEE IF ANY OF WHAT'S PASSED IMPACTS WHAT WE'VE ALREADY DRAFTED, AND WE'LL BRING YOU GUYS ANY RECOMMENDATIONS WE HAVE TO MAKE CHANGES AT THAT POINT AS WELL.
BUT WE CAN PUT THIS IN THE LIST OF KIND OF DONE.
CHECK IT OUT. YEAH. DID YOU ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR HAVE ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER? NO, I WAS JUST READING THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES, THE FINAL DRAFT. SO WE'LL DO SOME STUFF WITH THE REZONING, RIGHT, WHEN WE GET TO THAT.
ENABLING SOME MORE USES ON AG PROPERTIES, YEP.
.COUNTER. SOME SOLAR. AND THERE'S STILL SOME THINGS IN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION PERTAINING TO AGRITOURISM AND STUFF LIKE THAT THAT'LL BE COMING OUT.
EVERYBODY'S GOOD. THOSE ARE THE TWO THINGS THAT WE IDENTIFIED.
GREAT. THE WATER RESOURCES CHAPTER, WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY SLATED FOR THIS MEETING, IS JUST A NIGHTMARE. I'M BRINGING IT TO YOU ALL IN MARCH, THE NEXT MEETING. IT'LL BE A LOT. IT WAS A 130-PAGE CHAPTER. YAY. I KNOW. IT WILL NOT BE 130 PAGES.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT ELEMENT HAD EVER BEEN DONE. SO IT WAS EVERYBODY'S FIRST TIME OUT OF THE GATE. WHEN I WROTE
[00:20:03]
IT WAS WITH THE INTENT OF BEING ABLE TO GET, AND IT WAS FROM SCRATCH, AQUIFER DATA, GROUNDWATER USAGE, SURFACE WATER USAGE, PROJECTIONS OF NEED AND WHETHER OR NOT AQUIFERS WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO MEET THE NEED.THERE WAS WATER QUALITY. THE BAY TMDL HAD NOT YET BEEN ESTABLISHED, SO EVERYBODY HAD TO USE NUTRIENT AND SEDIMENT TARGETS, THAT WERE THE TRIB STRATEGIES. FROM 2006, I THINK.
THERE WAS A LOT OF DATA AND A LOT OF MATH. SO WHEN I WROTE IT, I WROTE IT, AND ALL OF THE TOWNS HAD TO DO ONE AS WELL. I TRIED TO DO A BOILERPLATE ABOUT ALL THE AQUIFER AND GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER STATS. SO THAT ANY OF THEM COULD JUST USE IT IN THEIR CHAPTERS INSTEAD OF HAVING TO GO TRACK IT ALL DOWN. AND AT THE TIME, IT WAS JUST LUCK. USGS AND THE MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY HAD JUST CONCLUDED FROM LIKE 2000 TO 2007. THE FIRST CHAPTER WAS DONE IN 2010, SO BACK IN 2010 WAS WHEN WE DID THE LAST ONE.
THEY HAD JUST CONCLUDED A MASSIVE COASTAL PLAIN AQUIFER STUDY WITH TONS OF DATA ON GROUNDWATER USAGE AND AQUIFER CAPACITIES AND WHERE THE IMPACTS TO AQUIFERS WERE.
AND THAT WAS THE LAST AQUIFER DATA AVAILABLE FOR ANYBODY.
THEY WERE GOING TO DO ANOTHER STUDY, OR AN UPDATED STUDY IN 2014.
AND THEN THEY WERE GOING TO DO A FINAL KIND OF A CONCLUSION REPORT IN 2020 OR 2022. NEITHER HAS BEEN DONE.
SO ALL OF THE DATA THAT I WAS HOPING TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, FOR THE 2025 COMP PLAN, IS THERE'S NOTHING NEW SINCE THE 2010 COMP PLAN. SO TRYING TO PROJECT, AND THE SAME THING WITH GROUNDWATER DATA, THE MOST RECENT I CAN FIND IS 2015. I DID FIND A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO A GIS WEBSITE THAT HAD DATA ON GROUNDWATER USAGE AND WITHDRAWALS, GROUND AND SURFACE WATER. IT ALWAYS USED TO BE... SUBMITTED BY COUNTY, BY JURISDICTION OR BY STATE LEVEL, IF YOU COULD FIND COUNTY LEVEL.
THAT WAS REALLY GREAT. AND IN 2010 THEY HAD IT. BUT NOW THE WATER DATA RELEASES ARE BY HUC 12 WATERSHED AND IT. WE SHARE HUC 12 WATERSHEDS WITH QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY AND TALBOT COUNTY AND DORCHESTER, SO I CAN GET THE DATA FROM 2020. BUT IT WOULD INCLUDE QUEEN ANNE'S GROUNDWATER USE, TALBOT. AND NO WAY OF TEASING OUT WHAT'S THEIRS AND WHAT'S OURS, BECAUSE IT'S JUST BLOCK DATA FOR THE WATERSHED. SO THE MOST RECENT I'M FINDING IS 2015, TEN-YEAR-OLD DATA. AND IT MADE.
I MAY JUST HAVE TO STOP AND SAY, THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO USE. I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO AS MUCH DETAIL ON ALL OF THE AQUIFERS AS I DID IN 2010. BECAUSE THERE IS NO NEW, THERE'S NO NEW INFO THAT WE CAN USE TO SAY. HERE'S WHAT WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL OF. IT'S STILL THE SAME THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE 2007 STUDY IS THE LAST WORD. SO I THINK THERE'S SOME ASSUMPTIONS WE CAN MAKE, THE PROJECTIONS FOR, AND THE DATA IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS FOR WARMER TEMPERATURES AND GREATER CHANCES OF DROUGHT. WHICH IMPACT SURFACE WATER SUPPLIES, WHICH DOESN'T IMPACT DRINKING WATER, BUT IT DOES IMPACT CROP IRRIGATION. THOSE ARE SURFICIAL AQUIFERS. SO THERE MAY, I MAY HAVE NEW INFO TO ADD ABOUT. WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF THAT SO THAT IRRIGATION SUPPLIES AREN'T IMPACTED. YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO WATCH THAT WE'RE NOT DEPLETING STREAMS ENVIRONMENTALLY. I DON'T, I MEAN, I SUPPOSE THERE'S AN UPSIDE TO SOLAR, WHICH IS IT DOESN'T USE A LOT OF WATER. SO, AS OPPOSED TO LIKE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT.
AS OPPOSED TO DATA CENTERS. AS OPPOSED TO DATA CENTERS, YEAH, EXACTLY. SO, ANYWAY, I'M TRYING TO GET AS MUCH RELEVANT INFO TOGETHER TO PUT TOGETHER A CHAPTER THAT ACTUALLY SAYS. WE THINK OUR GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR OUR PROJECTED POPULATION INCREASE. EXCEPT, I DON'T KNOW. FORTUNATELY, OUR POPULATION PROJECTIONS AREN'T THROUGH THE ROOF. AND BASED ON THE 2007 DATA AND THE GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWAL DATA FROM 2015 AT LEAST, WE'RE NOT GALLOPING AHEAD BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS, USING A WHOLE LOT MORE WATER. AG IS USING MORE WATER, BUT THEY
[00:25:01]
DON'T USE THE GROUNDWATER THAT DRINKING SUPPLY USES.BUT EVEN OUR MINING, THE DATA I FOUND JUST TODAY ON MINING WITHDRAWALS, IS HALF WHAT IT WAS IN 2010, WHICH IS INTERESTING. HALF. IT WENT FROM 2 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY TO 1 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY. FOR THE WASH PLANTS.
YEAH. I MEAN FOR MINING. NOW, REMEMBER, THAT REDUCTION IS TO 2015. NOT TODAY, SO I SHOULDN'T SAY TO TODAY.
SO BETWEEN 2010, OR, I'M SORRY, BETWEEN 2000 AND 2015, THE GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWALS FOR MINING, TOTAL WITHDRAWALS FOR MINING, SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER, ARE HALF WHAT THEY WERE. HOW DO WE GET, IF YOU'RE GOING TO PUT TOGETHER A WHOLE PLAN, A WHOLE CHAPTER, AND THE DATA IS 10 YEARS OLD, I MEAN, IT DOESN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ANY... ALL YOUR NUMBERS ARE 10-YEAR-OLD NUMBERS. NO ACCOUNT FOR DEVELOPMENT? WELL, IT'S NOT REFLECTED IN THE DATA.
GROWTH. WHAT I CAN DO IS, AND THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT VERY TIME-CONSUMING, IS KIND OF DO IT IN THE WORLD OF 2015.
WELL, IN 2015, WE HAD THIS MUCH WATER GOING OUT, YOU KNOW, FOR DOMESTIC USE, OR INDUSTRIAL USE, OR AG OR WHATEVER.
FOR THE DOMESTIC USE, AND IT'S BROKEN OUT BY PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY AND DOMESTIC INDIVIDUAL WELLS, WE DIDN'T RUN OUT OF WATER.
AND GROUNDWATER APPROPRIATION PERMITS ARE STILL BEING ISSUED WITHOUT PAUSE. THERE WAS A TIME, I THINK, IN THE LATE 90S, WHERE MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND MDE PUT A HOLD ON GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWALS.
BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MUCH COMING OUT OF SOME OF THE GROUNDWATER AQUIFERS FOR AG, AND THEY TOLD AG THEY HAD TO GO TO THE COLUMBIA AND STOP IMPACTING THE DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES.
BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO DISCUSSION ABOUT THE AQUIFERS THAT WE USE BEING IN ANY KIND OF DANGER. HAVING, YOU KNOW, AN ISSUE. NOW ON KEN ISLAND AND IN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY ON THE AQUIA, THERE IS SOME CONCERN BECAUSE THE AQUIA SERVES THOSE METROPOLITAN AREAS. AND THEN IT'S ALSO ACCESSED DOWN IN SOUTHERN MARYLAND.
PATUXENT NAVAL AIR STATION IS A HUGE DRAWER OF WATER. TO THE POINT WHERE THAT AQUIFER NOW HAS A CONE OF DEPRESSION.
THAT'S WHAT I WONDERED. IT IS A HUGE USER. SO AS THAT HAPPENS, AND THE AQUA BORDERS AND RUNS UNDER... THE BAY, IT'S ANNE, ARUNDEL COUNTY, KENT COUNTY, OR KENT ISLAND USES IT. PARTS OF NORTHERN CAROLINE COUNTY USE IT. BUT THE MORE THAT WATER IS PULLED OUT OF THERE, THE MORE SALT WATER INTRUSION COMES INTO THE AQUIFER, AND THEN YOU GOT A BIG PROBLEM.
SO ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY WAS TOLD BACK IN 2010 THAT THEY NEEDED TO START LOOKING AT THE DEEPER AQUIFER IN CASE THEY NEEDED TO JUMP TO IT, BECAUSE OF THE CONDITION OF THE AQUAIA. AND I THINK THAT WAS, IT'S THE MAGOTHY, IS THAT.
AQUIFER. SO THAT'S WAY DEEPER, BUT THE PROBLEM THEY WERE FACING AND THAT EVERYBODY WOULD FACE IS IT'S GOT A LOT OF MINERALS IN IT BECAUSE IT'S SO MUCH DEEPER. SO, ALL OF THE WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS THAT ARE TUNED TO THE AQUIA WATER WOULD HAVE TO BE REDONE TO TREAT THE WATER FROM THE MAGOTHY, WHICH WOULD BE ENORMOUSLY EXPENSIVE. SO THOSE ARE ISSUES THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH IN THAT PART OF THE AQUIA. THE ONLY PART OF CAROLINE COUNTY THAT REALLY ACCESSES THE AQUIA IS THE NORTHERN END OF THE COUNTY.
AND THERE'S NO SALTWATER INTRUSION DETECTED THAT FAR INLAND.
BUT THERE'S NO RECENT, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T UPDATED THE 2007 COASTAL PLAIN AQUIFER STUDY, THERE'S NO CURRENT INFO ON, WELL, WHATEVER HAPPENED.
YOU KNOW, HOW ARE THEY DOING? WE'RE ALMOST 20 YEARS OLD.
YEAH. AND WE'RE PROJECTING THAT FOR 10 YEARS. SO, UM... I MEAN, YOU JUST TAKE 2015 NUMBERS AND... SHOW THEM AS THE MOST RECENT DATA? DEVELOP A TREND.
YES. JUST TRY TO SAY, WELL, FROM 15 TO 26, WE'VE HAD X AMOUNT OF PERCENTAGE OF GROWTH. YES, EXTRAPOLATE INTO THE, AS BEST I CAN. AND MAKE A BEST GUESS. YES, THAT IS WHAT I WILL HAVE TO DO. AND ASK COPILOT, THEY'LL TELL YOU. SO THERE'S THAT. THE OTHER DIFFERENCE IS, IN THE ORIGINAL CHAPTER, AGAIN,
[00:30:01]
TO TRY AND PROVIDE INFO FOR EVERYBODY. WE DID AN ASSESSMENT OF EVERYBODY'S WATER SYSTEM AND EVERYBODY'S SEWER SYSTEM, ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES, TO GET THAT DATA TO THEM. SO THEY WOULD HAVE IT. AND IT WAS A GOOD SNAPSHOT OF THE COUNTY. WE DID NOT NEED TO DO THAT. WE DON'T HAVE A SEWER SYSTEM. AND THE POINT OF THIS ELEMENT, MORE SO NOW THAN THEN, IS FOR EACH COUNTY TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH ARE WE POLLUTING THE WATER AND ARE WE GOING TO RUN OUT OF WATER. THOSE ARE THE TWO. AND WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF CHANGING CLIMATE GOING TO BE ON OUR WATER SUPPLY? SO ALL OF THE INFO THAT WAS PUT INTO THE ORIGINAL CHAPTER, A LOT OF IT CAN BE CARVED OUT AND IT'S UNNECESSARY. THE NEW INFO IS HARD TO FIND, SO I'LL BE EXTRAPOLATING. AND THEN THERE ARE SOME NEW REQUIREMENTS TO ACCOMMODATE THE CLIMATE CHANGE DISCUSSION, PARTICULARLY HEAT AND DROUGHT.I'M DEBATING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU, I SHOULD EVEN SHOW YOU A RED LINE, BECAUSE IT'S HORRIBLE.
IT'S JUST HORRIBLE. AND JUST GIVING YOU A FRESH DRAFT CHAPTER. SO YOU'RE BASICALLY REWRITING THE WHOLE CHAPTER.
RIGHT. IT WOULD BE REALLY HARD TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT WHAT'S HERE AND NOT THERE.
IT'S STILL IN THE OLD PLAN, WHICH IS STILL AVAILABLE AND ONLINE, AND YOU CAN SEE CHUNKS THAT ARE GONE. I HAVE A RED LINE VERSION THAT IS JUST A NIGHTMARE. IT'S JUST, EVEN I CAN'T MAKE HEADS OR TAILS OF IT NOW. AND I DID THE EDITING. SO THAT WILL BE IN MARCH. YEAH, YOU DID THE EDITING AND YOU DID THE...
YEAH. IT'S REALLY PAINFUL TO DELETE ALL THAT STUFF THAT I SPENT MONTHS PUTTING IN THERE 20 YEARS AGO. AND THAT'S THE LAST CHAPTER. WATER RESOURCES IS THE LAST CHAPTER.
(INAUDIBLE) OH, THE DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOTS OF EVERYTHING. (INAUDIBLE) RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO ZONING, REZONING.
(INAUDIBLE) AND JURISDICTIONS, SURROUNDING JURISDICTIONS FOR THEIR REVIEW.
(INAUDIBLE) IN THE FALL, YOU GET A MONTH OFF.
(INAUDIBLE) DO YOU NEED A MOTION? YES, JUST TO APPROVE THE FINAL DRAFT. I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE CHAPTER 4 PRIORITY PRESERVATION AREA WITH THE TWO ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS. INDICATED IN THE STAFF REPORT AND MAKE THIS THE FINAL DRAFT. I SECOND. MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND.
[BZA Update - No Update]
THAT'S CORRECT. DEPARTMENT[Department Update]
UPDATE? OUR THREE TEXT AMENDMENT BILLS WERE INTRODUCED TUESDAY AT THE COMMISSIONER'S MEETING, SO THEY'LL BE MOVING ON TO PUBLIC HEARING AS THE NEXT STEP. THOSE WERE THE ZONING MAP CORRECTIONS TO GIVE US THE ABILITY TO MAKE ANY EDITS[00:35:03]
TO THE ZONING MAPS. ON CLERICAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAD HAPPENED FROM THE CHANGE. THE ADDITION OF PUTTING THE R3 ZONING BACK IN OUR ZONING CODE, ALONG WITH THE TOWNHOUSE REGULATIONS.AND THE OTHER ONE WAS THE ALLOWANCE OF THE MINI STORAGE IN THE VC ZONING DISTRICTS. SO THOSE THREE ARE ON THEIR WAY THROUGH THE PROCESS. ALSO, IT'S NOT THE VILLAGE CENTER. IT'S NOT A DONE DEAL YET, NO, SO THEY WERE INTRODUCED ON TUESDAY WITH THE OTHER TWO BILLS.
OKAY, PUBLIC HEARINGS, THE NEXT STEP AT THE COMMISSIONERS, MISSION MEMBERS, YOU ANYTHING THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT? MAKE NOTE OF THE CALENDAR CHANGES.
ELECTION YEAR. THERE'S LIKE TWO DATES THAT WERE CHANGED ON THEIR CALENDAR. I JUST, SHE JUST SENDS A TEXT MESSAGE AND THEY SHOW UP. SHE'S CRAZY. MY WIFE TRAINS YOU. I'LL MAKE NOTE OF THAT. YES, PLEASE.
SEPTEMBER 9TH MEETING IS NOT, WILL NOT BE IN THIS BUILDING.
DUE TO ELECTION BOARD UTILIZING THIS ROOM. I KNOW, I'LL SLEEP SINCE THEN. I'LL FORGET THAT.
SEVEN TEXTS AWAY. YES. WE'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET A MESSAGE THE DAY OF. YEAH. YOU'RE HERE TO GO. YEAH. YEAH. DON'T WORRY, I'LL REMIND YOU GUYS, EVERYONE. SO THE JUNE MEETING AND THE SEPTEMBER MEETING WILL BE UP AT THE COURTHOUSE. YOU GOT ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TELL US? ANYTHING? WHO? ME? YEAH.
ANYTHING FUN AND FANCY? WE ARE HAVING FUN WITH THE BURNING BINS. (INAUDIBLE) HAVING THE COMMISSIONER DECLARE A BAN ON OPEN FIRES DURING DROUGHT PERIODS AND ALSO CONSIDERING A RESTRICTION ON OPEN AIR BURING OF HOUSEHOLD TRASH.
WHOLE LOT OF THAT GOING. A LOT OF PEOPLE GOT A BURN BARREL.
YOU MEAN THE BURN BARREL? YOU ALL DISCUSSING THE BURN BARREL? LIKE PERIOD, OR LIKE WHEN THERE'S A DROUGHT? MY WIFE JUST ASKED ME ABOUT, WHERE CAN I GET A BARREL? (INAUDIBLE) WELL, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE THIS ONLY COMES UP BECAUSE OF ABUSE.
SOMEBODY HAVING REALLY CARED IT TO AN EXTREME LEVEL (INAUDIBLE) OR BURNING MORE THAN JUST HOUSEHOLD TRASH.
RIGHT. RIGHT. (INAUDIBLE) HOUSEHOLD TRASHM 40, 50 YEARS AGO. WE USUALLY END UP, I DON'T EVEN KNOW, HAD A FIRE PIT. IT ENDED UP BURNING A LOT OF... OH, THAT'S FINE. A LOT OF... IT STILL BURNED DOWN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
BURNED IT. I GOT A QUESTION. I GUESS. MAYBE. IF THIS IS RIGHT.
NO. DOES, IF THE COUNTY'S DOING THE PROJECT, DO THE DRAWINGS AND ALL COME BEFORE THIS? THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE, I THINK. WHAT HAPPENED? WHY DOESN'T IT? WHAT HAPPENED? WHO'S TEARING THE EAST WING DOWN? I DID A PROJECT TODAY FOR THE COUNTY. I COULD HAVE PROBABLY FOUND A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF SAVINGS. STUFF THAT THEY
[00:40:02]
JUST... WHOEVER. WHOEVER THE...AND... AND... IT DID, BUT I'M SAYING THE DRAWINGS...
THE ENGINEER DRAWINGS THAT WERE PREPARED. CORRECT. AND THEY WERE... AND IT WAS JUST... THE WHOLE PROCESS OF BIDDING, IT WAS TERRIBLE. VERY INCOMPLETE DRAWINGS. AND NOT JUST, I MEAN, NOT JUST, NOT JUST MY PARTICULAR TRADE.
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT HAVING THAT REVIEW, OLD SET, OLD PLANS, EVERYTHING, LIKE WE MAKE EVERYBODY? IF HE WAS GOING TO, WELL, YEAH. SO WHO DOES THAT FOR THE, I MEAN, WHO DOES THAT FOR THE COUNTY? I DO FOR MY PROJECTS, BUT I'M NOT SPECIAL. WELL, I DON'T HAVE TO, BUT I TAKE THEM TO MATT. I'M NOT BUILDING BUILDINGS. I'M DOING STORMWATER STUFF. DO WE HAVE A PLAN ON THAT? ON COUNTY PROJECTS, THEY'RE EXEMPT FROM THE REGULATIONS. THAT'S UNIVERSAL, BY THE WAY. THAT IS.
NOT JUST RESTRICTED TO CAROLINE COUNTY. THAT IS UP TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT WHETHER IT DECIDES TO COMPLY WITH THE ORDENANCE THAT IS HAS ADOPTED FOR THE PUBLIC. WE CAN GET INTO SITUATIONS WHERE THE COUNTY MAY HAVE BUILT A BUILDING IN THE TOWN OF DELTA WHERE THE COUNTY IS SUBJECT TO THE ORDINANCY OF THE COUNTY OF DELTA.
WONDERFUL DEBATS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT AN INFERIOR SMALLER LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAN CONTROL THE ACTIVITIES OF A SUPERIOR HIGHER GOVERNMENT, IN IN THE HIERARCHY. FOR EXAMPLE FEDS CAN COME IN AND PUT A POST OFFICE ANY WHERE THEY WANT REGARDLESS OF LOCAL ZONING.
I THINK WE HAD THAT WITH MES, WITH THE LANDFILL WAS ONE OF THOSE WITH THE STATE.
BUT AS TO A LOCAL GOVERNMENT BEING SUBJECT TO IT'S OWN ORDINANCE IT IS NOT, IT CAN TRY TO CONFORM, IT CAN VOLUNTARILY DO THAT. IN THE TOWN OF CHESTERTOWN WHICH I REPRESENTED FOR TWO AND A HALF DECADES, MOST OF THE TIME, ABOUT A 100% OF THE TIME TRIED TO COMPLY TO IT'S OWN ORDINANCE EVENTHOUGHT IT DID NOT HAVE TO. THEY JUST THOUGH IT WAS BETTER PRACTICE.
(INAUDIBLE) OUR LOCAL BOARD OF ED FOR MANY YEARS HAS ALWAYS ASKED US TO RUN THEIR CONSTRUCTION PLANS THROUGH, YOU KNOW, FOR COMPLIANCE WITH CODE, TO HAVE THEM EVALUATED AND DO THE INSPECTIONS THROUGH THAT WAY. I DON'T KNOW IN MORE RECENT YEARS, IN THE CHANGE OF STAFF, OR IF THEY'VE EVEN HAD ANY PROJECTS RECENTLY. NOT BUILDING. YEAH, THE LAST ONE I CAN THINK OF IN THE COUNTY WAS THE OLD VFW BUILDING. WAS THIS A BUILDING? THEY ASKED US TO LOOK AT THAT PROJECT. IT WAS A BUILDING? NO IT WASN'T A BUILDING. (INAUDIBLE) OKAY. ANYBODY GOT ANYTHING ELSE? MOTION
[Meeting Adjournment]
TO ADJOURN. SECOND. SECOND.[00:45:03]
ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. WE ARE ADJOURNED.* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.