While one of the signs that our local economy will indeed recover from the COVID pandemic is that many major capital projects are moving forward. From Cambridge’s Waterfront initiative to Dixon Valve’s continued growth in Chestertown, groundbreakings and design planning are back on the front burner. It’s hard not to see the Mid-Shore having a significant comeback soon after the “all clear” signal is given by Governor Hogan later in the year.
One of those projects back online is the Lakeside Project in Trappe. With an ultimate goal of 2,500 housing units on a parcel of land on the east side of Route 50, the mixed-use community has made it clear to government agencies that the developer’s goal is to create a “natural extension of and with respect for the Town’s (Trappe’s) urban fabric, scale, and historic and architectural character.”
And this commitment to quality also applies to Lakeside’s long-term environmental protection strategies. Plans call for effective wastewater treatment and a promise for “zero net discharge” of pollutants to local waterways, including the Choptank River by way of Miles Creek.
While Lakeside’s plans to achieve these goals are well-documented, it has not stopped the Chesapeake Bay Foundation from fulfilling its mission of doing due diligence to independently assess the risk to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
In this case, CBF has some very specific questions for Maryland’s Department of the Environment (MDE), which has oversight over the project’s environmental management plan. This includes Lakeside’s strategy to spray up to 540,000 gallons of treated wastewater per day over its open spaces and fields.
This concern has led the CBF to file suit against the department to challenge the MDE’s conclusion that the project’s use of treated wastewater would result in no net pollutants once it leaves the field.
The Spy talked to Alan Girard, the Bay Foundation’s Eastern Shore director, a few weeks ago to provide some background on why CBF is concerned about Lakeside and its long-term impact on the Mid-Shore.
This video is approximately eleven minutes in length. For more information about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation please go here
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