Charles County Wastewater-Drinking Water

Community Background

A large portion of a rural community in Charles County, MD, struggles with drinking water and wastewater challenges due to a historic lack of investment and support. Many households are underserved and overburdened, lacking access to basic sanitation and water services. Many of the affected families have lived in the community for generations.

Community Need

The community is faced with widespread failing individual septic systems and shallow, contaminated wells located in close proximity to failing wastewater infrastructure. A minimum of eight houses are currently facing immediate health risks due to failing septic systems, though the community anticipates more houses will be identified. The immediate objective of this project is to develop, design, and permit an interim wastewater solution for the eight identified houses. Following the interim solution, the US Water Alliance is working to collect data from the community, which will be used to inform long-term solutions.

Project Team Needs

The immediate scope for this project, to be completed by the subject matter expert or a team of subject matter experts, is to conduct an investigation of eight septic systems that have failed within the community, identify the cause of failure, and make recommendations for improvements. This is anticipated to include mounded septic system design and developing supporting documentation required for permitting.

Based on the outcome of the community visioning process, it is anticipated that Community Engineering Corps’ long-term involvement with this community may also include the development of two Preliminary Engineering Reports – one evaluating long-term drinking water solutions and the second evaluating long-term wastewater solutions. The Preliminary Engineering Reports are anticipated to be utilized in applications for federal and state funding opportunities for capital improvement projects. A full team would be needed for these Preliminary Engineering Reports, including Responsible Engineer in Charge (REIC), Quality Assurance Manager (QAM), and Project Lead (PL).