City, town near accord on water

February 26, 1998

City, town near accord on water

SMITHSBURG - Smithsburg's water customers moved closer Tuesday to getting a new water supply.

Hagerstown City Council members unanimously approved a 10-year water purchase agreement between the two municipalities during their Tuesday night regular session.

Smithsburg Mayor Mildred "Mickey" Myers said the Town Council will vote on the agreement during next Tuesday's 7 p.m. meeting.

The town will have to have a pump station repaired before the water supply changes, Myers said. That work is expected to take less than three months.

The town is in violation of the federal safe drinking water act because its water - primarily drawn from Hauver Spring - is not filtered or chemically treated.

Smithsburg has more than 800 household water accounts.

The supply switch will not immediately affect rates because Smithsburg water customers received rate increases about a year ago, Myers said.

The town has long had the capability of getting water from Hagerstown and has done so during droughts, Myers said.

Under the agreement, the primary source of Smithsburg's water will be the Edgemont Reservoir, where water is treated by the new William M. Breichner Water Treatment Plant south of Smithsburg, she said.

According to the agreement, the town of Smithsburg will not draw more than 520,000 gallons a day or 11.2 million gallons a month, whichever is less.

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