News Release

Submerged Potomac River Water Supply Intake Approved

Date: February 6, 2018
Contact: Catherine Bragaw, 301-491-6265

Montgomery County, Md.— The National Park Service has approved a request from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) to upgrade its Potomac River water supply intake along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The project will involve construction of a new submerged water intake in the river and the placement of permanent water filtration structures within the park.
 

The decision document allows WSSC to implement the preferred alternative identified in the project’s environmental assessment. Infrastructure improvements identified in this alternative include constructing a boat ramp, a parking area and a permanent access road to support WSSC operations. In exchange for a perpetual easement for the existing and proposed intake facilities, a land exchange between the NPS and WSSC will occur prior to construction. WSSC will also contribute to a mitigation fund for impacts associated with the proposed construction of this project; this fund is separate from the land exchange. WSSC plans to begin construction in about two years.

 

The environmental assessment & FONSI are available online.