Task Force to Study Development in Ten Mile Creek Watershed

A task force of scientists and water quality experts will be formed in Montgomery County to examine whether further development is possible in the county's fragile Ten Mile Creek watershed.

On Tuesday, the County Council unanimously approved a measure establishing the group, which was proposed by council member Michael Knapp (D-Upcounty). He represents the area, which includes substantial and relatively new development near Clarksburg.

The county Planning Board in July urged the council to reassess the land-use plan for the area and conduct new studies of development's effects on water quality. Landowners and developers complained that they would be hurt financially because the board's plan would put development on hold for at least two years.

The Planning Board also urged county officials to look for a new site for a proposed $85 million Ride On bus depot and delay approval of as many as 1,600 new homes.

A planning staff report said that officials underestimated the effect development would have on the environment when they wrote the 1994 master plan for Clarksburg, leading to a building boom in the northern Montgomery watershed, a source of drinking water for the region.

Knapp said that the task force, which will include county and industry officials, could still recommend revising land-use plans for the area. "We want to look at everything," he said.

The group is likely to report back to the council within the next year.