TRAPPE, Md. - The Maryland Department of Environment has approved a scaled-back permit limiting how much treated wastewater can be discharged back into the environment for a housing development in Trappe.
The discharge permit would allow up to 400 homes to be built. It will also allow the spraying of 100,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater onto nearby farm fields.
Many people in Trappe still worry about the size of the development. Vaughn Brooks lives right next door to the development and says this is a win.
"I think it's better. I think it would be better. Fewer homes would cause less waste and less traffic, as far as people," says Brooks.
Lakeside's original request was to discharge 540,000 gallons of treated wastewater a day. But, Trappe's current wastewater treatment plant could not handle that amount of water.
Environmental groups, like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, are pleased with the reduced amount.
"This is a significant improvement. We can chalk that up to the significant advocacy on our part and other people. I think several hundred to several thousand people commented on this during the public comment period," says CBF Maryland Senior Scientist Doug Myers.
CBF originally filed a lawsuit over the 540,000 gallons per day permit. But with MDE's ruling, the lawsuit has been paused.
Trappe Town Councilman Brian Schmidt says he has also heard concerns from citizens about the number of homes at Lakeside. Schmidt sees the reduced permit as a good thing.
"This is not quite as many houses," he said. "But 400 houses are still expanding the town. It's enabling the town to grow more methodically."
WBOC reached out to the developers of Lakeside at Trappe but did not hear back by the time of the writing of this article.