He said plans are still being discussed.
Emmitsburg, MD – Senator Michael Hough has stepped in to help with ongoing brown water issue that has affected Emmitsburg residents since October.
The cause of the issue is still unknown but the Board of Commissioners said they are continuing their research into possible solutions.
Senator Hough said the Maryland Department of the Environment tested the water and concluded there was nothing dangerous about the water’s quality.
“But obviously the aesthetics of having brown water would be something that no one would want coming out of their faucets,” Hough said.
The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a $23,800 replacement of a 6-inch high-density polyethylene (HDPE) line along Waynesboro Pike during their meeting on Monday evening.
Hough said the town could seek loans and grants from the MDE and other departments to pay for any possible construction to fix the water lines.
“It’s a challenge to come up with funding to fix it,” Hough said “I want to make sure the state can be of assistance and not forget the needs of our small towns.”
Hough said Emmitsburg might qualify to receive some of the $5 million that he proposed would go towards several infrastructure projects within Frederick County.
The funds were originally set aside for the hotel and conference center in downtown Frederick, but they were never released.
The infrastructure project would include water infrastructure improvements in Brunswick, road improvements in Mount Airy and revitalization work in Middletown, but the proposals would first need to be approved by both the House and Senate before being a part of the capital budget
At a previous meeting, Town Manager Cathy Willets said the estimated cost to fix 1,000 linear feet of water lines would be about $300,000 which would include the piping, process, paving, and traffic flagging.
By Timothy Young