2025_sewer_allocation_policy_111425_smv.pdf

Exactly as extracted, unformatted — for checking against the original. The readable version is easier to read.

Town of Centreville
Water and Sewer Allocation Policy
2025
1.PURPOSE
a. The Environment Article, Title 9, Subtitle 5, of the Annotated Code of Maryland, enables The
Town Comprehensive Water and Sewerage Plans to provide for the orderly expansion of public
water supply and sewer systems in a manner consistent with applicable Town Comprehensive
Plans. The statutory authority and regulatory requirements, as codified in the Code of Maryland
Regulations 26.03.03, provide the basis for the establishment of allocation policies for water
supply and sewerage services.
b. To provide guidance for the allocation of available water and sewer capacity for the Town of
Centreville.
c. To provide public knowledge and awareness regarding available capacity in public water and
wastewater facilities.
d. To establish a procedure for equitable allocation of available capacity for public water and
wastewater systems in such a manner as to protect the public health, safety, welfare, and water
quality of the Town.
e. To responsibly plan for the future growth of the Town of Centreville in accordance with the
Town’s land use and growth management goals and objectives, as established in the 2040
Comprehensive Plan, adopted on December 14, 2023.
f. To wisely manage The Town of Centreville’s water supply and sewerage treatment resources and
to prevent the depletion of underlying water-bearing aquifers or the over-commitment of
available sewer treatment capacity.
g. To establish policies such that the allocations available between now and 2031 when the new
wastewater treatment plant comes online are divided among the intervening years in order to
provide a highly predictable development environment.
h. To establish target water and sewer allocation reservations for the available capacity between
residential uses, commercial and industrial uses, and infill development.
i. To ensure that sufficient revenue is available to make payments for a cost-effective way to cover
bond indebtedness from the construction of public water and sewer systems.
j. To provide an administrative procedure and guidance for the allocation of water and sewer
services in a reasonable, fair, and adequate manner.
k. For the calendar year of 2019, the Town of Centreville Wastewater Treatment Plant reached an
annual average gallons per day (gpd) flows at 82% of its 542,000 gpd design capacity. At 80% of
the design capacity, the Maryland Department of the Environment guidelines require an annual
update to and submission of the Capacity Management Plan. The current plan is a part of this
policy as “Exhibit A” and will be updated each year, until the annual average gpd is below 80%.
2. DEFINITIONS
Unless otherwise defined in the Charter and Code of the Town of Centreville, the following terms shall
be defined as follows:
a. EDU (Equivalent Dwelling Unit) - a standard unit of measure equal to the estimated daily sewer
flow related to a single-family residential unit. The standard unit shall be equivalent to 200
gallons per day (GPD).

b. Existing Lot – a recorded parcel of land, as of December 1, 2005, eligible for development
according to prevailing and applicable zoning ordinances.
c. Existing Subdivision – a parcel of land documented with a recorded plat having received final
approval by the Centreville Planning Commission prior to December 1, 2005.
d. Water and Sewer Connection Fees - collectable from the owner upon application for a
building permit, these fees shall offset the operating and administrative expenses to the
Town related to establishing new connections to the water and sewer systems of the Town.
These fees shall be collected in accordance with each unit or utility billing account to be
established related to the project.
e. Water and Sewer Allocation Fees – collectable from the owner as described herein, these fees
shall offset the current and planned debt service for CAPITAL expenditures related to
providing water and sewer services to the Town of Centreville. These fees shall be
established, calculated and collected as provided for in this chapter.
f. Allocation – the reserved commitment of water and sewer service for a proposed or planned
project. The allocation shall be comprised of the number of EDUs required for a project and shall
be based on a specific use and scope as indicated in the drawings and documentation submitted to
the Town.
g. (Minor Residential Subdivision 4> lot) (4 lots or less)
h. (Major Residential Subdivision >5 lots) (5 lots or less
3. CALCULATION OF EQUIVALENT DWELLING UNIT (EDU) REQUIREMENTS
a. The allocation for a single-family residential unit shall require one EDU.
b. For other than a single-family residential unit, the number of EDUs required for a project shall be
based on the specific use and scope as presented to the Town.
c. Unless otherwise provided for below, the calculation of the number of EDUs required for a
project shall be based on “MDE GUIDELINES FOR ESTIMATING WATER AND/OR
WASTEWATER FLOW” Revised July 2016 (“MDE Guidance”), attached as Exhibit “B” or
corresponding future provision thereof, which shall be effective within the Town of Centreville
upon adoption by the State of Maryland without further action of the Town Council. The
following specific uses shall be modified from the MDE Guidance as now exists or as is adopted
in the future: Single family residences 200 gpd
d. If a project is not adequately addressed in the table described in subsection c above, the Town
may consult its engineer or other technical resources to estimate the required EDUs.
e. The Town may also consider historical or representative data from similar projects of like use and
scope in calculating the required EDUs for a project.
f. The calculation of the required EDUs shall result in whole numbers. If the division of total
estimated flow by 200 GPD results in a fractional portion, the result shall be rounded up to the
nearest whole number. Each demised premise shall require a minimum of one (1) EDU.
g. The Town shall monitor water use as an indication of actual sewer flows. Sewer flow shall be
85% of the metered water consumption. The sewer charge as it appears on the utility bill shall be
pre-calculated to 85% of the water for the metered consumption. Unless otherwise provided in a
Public Works Agreement if, after a minimum of one year, the required EDUs calculation
underestimated or overestimated the required flow by 200 GPD or more, the Town shall be
entitled or required to make the respective adjustment. If the Town is entitled to collect for
additional allocation, the fee shall be calculated using the rate applicable at the time of the
original approval. If the Town overestimated the required flow, the owner shall receive a refund
of the applicable allocation fee, less a 10% administrative fee, based on the rate applicable at the
time of the original approval. Assessments for additional allocations or refunds are to be
calculated using only whole numbered EDUs as described in subsection f above.

4. AUTHORITY
a. The authority to approve the allocation of water and sewer capacity shall reside with the Town
Council of Centreville.
b. The Town Council may delegate the administrative functions related to water and sewer
allocations to the Town Manager.
5. ADMINISTRATION
a. The attached Allocation Distribution Plan (the “Plan”), shall provide for the general distribution
of available sewer capacity to be approved by the Town Council. The Plan divides available
capacity into specific use categories to be available within a given period of time. Allocations
shall be available within a given category on a “first come – first serve” basis, subject to the
provisions of this chapter and the priority system set forth in the Plan to meet municipal
objectives for the public good and for health, safety, and general welfare.
b. Projects within each category shall generally be considered eligible to reserve water and sewer
capacity in the time order in which they received Conditional Final Site Plan or Conditional Final
Subdivision approval from the Planning Commission, including any contingent requirements as
prescribed by the Planning Commission.
c. Allocations for projects receiving Conditional Final Site Plan or Conditional Final Subdivision
approvals for a site plan or subdivision from the Planning Commission and having met all
requirements as prescribed by the Planning Commission, shall be available as follows unless
otherwise provided for in a Public Works Agreement or Developers Rights and Responsibilities
Agreement:
1. Upon approval of the Conditional Final Site Plan or Conditional Final Subdivision, an
owner may reserve the allocations required for the project by submitting an application to
the Town Council. In the case of a Planned Business Development or a Planned
Redevelopment Area, for which a master development plan has been approved by the
Planning Commission, projects involving multiple buildings may reserve allocations
predicated upon a Public Works Agreement or Developers Rights and Responsibilities
Agreement approved and executed by the Town Council.
2. The application for the required allocations shall include a non-refundable deposit of 20%
of the prevailing water and sewer allocation fees.
3. The water and sewer allocation shall be considered reserved for a period of one year from
the date of approval by the Town Council.
4. The remaining balance due for water and sewer allocations shall be payable upon the
submittal of an application for a building permit.
5. Reserved water and sewer allocations shall expire if the related application for building
permit is not received within one year of initial approval by the Town Council.
6. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, the Town Council may consider a request for a
six-month extension of allocations if such requests are submitted in writing at least 30
days prior to expiration. An owner shall be eligible for one (1) six-month extension for a
project.
d. In order to provide developers with some insight into whether they are eligible to receive
allocations, developers may request tentative approval of allocations at any point prior to
receiving Conditional Final Site Plan or Conditional Final Subdivision. Developers requesting
tentative approval of allocations shall provide sufficient information on the development for the
Town Council to assess the project’s priority in the Allocation Distribution Plan. Prior citizen
engagement and participation shall be required prior to requesting tentative approval of

allocations. Tentative approval of allocations by the Town Council shall allow the developer to
use the timing of that approval in relation to other projects, provided they continue to diligently
pursue their required development approvals. For the purpose of this section, “diligently pursue”
shall mean that there are not any six (6) month periods of time where the developer has failed to
submit any requests for development approvals unless good cause is shown to the Council.
e. To accurately assess the actual use, each demised premise shall be individually metered.
f. Unless previously secured as part of the processes described in subsection (c) or subsection(d)
above, the application for the water and sewer allocation and related fees for a project shall be
included with the application for the related building permit.
g. If the Town Council denies an application for reservation of water and sewer allocations, the 20%
deposit may be refunded, except for a $1,000 administrative fee and any interest that may have
accrued.
h. Projects with approved building permits and having paid all applicable fees may be eligible for a
refund of a portion of the applicable water and sewer allocation fees if the project is not
completed. 20% of the applicable water and sewer allocation fees and any interest that may have
accrued shall be considered non-refundable.
i. Building permit fees, related administrative fees and water and sewer connection fees for projects
not completed shall be non-refundable.
j. In the case of multi-use, mixed used, “flex” or “shell” buildings or other situations where the final
water and sewer requirements cannot be determined at the time of construction, the owner shall
propose the most likely requirements expected. Subject to approval of the Town, the proposed use
shall determine the allocation fees to be collected in accordance with subsection d above. Upon
application for the building permit for the tenant fit out, the actual use and related water and
sewer requirements shall be evaluated and adjusted as needed.
k. (1) The allocation for a pre-existing building shall be considered to include the flow associated
with its previous use. The previous flow shall be determined using actual consumption data or as
otherwise provided in section 5.k.3 below.
(2) This “grandfathered” flow shall be available for subsequent use of the parcel provided:
(a) the utility billing has been paid on a regular basis, and
(b) the façade of the pre-existing building generating flow is maintained, if the building is
contributing to the National Register Historic District.
(3) “Grandfathered” flow shall not be available for subsequent uses when there has been no flow
from the pre-existing building or facility within two years of application, except that one EDU
shall be available for each metered connection that has met the conditions in Section 5. k (2) (b)
above.
(4) There shall be no refunds where the previous flow requirements exceed the subsequent
requirements of the new use.
6. TRANSFERABLITY
a. The award or approval of water and sewer allocations shall be considered specific to the related
parcel of land, as well as the type and scope of project considered during the planning processes.
b. The water and sewer allocations approved related to a specific parcel are bound to that parcel and
shall continue with such parcel upon change of ownership.
c. An owner may not transfer approved or reserved allocations to another project on a different
parcel, regardless of ownership.
7. FEES
a. A water and sewer allocation fee shall be established by the Town Council and shall be
considered to apply on a per EDU basis.

b. The total water and sewer allocation charges for a project shall be calculated by multiplying the
number of required EDUs, as determined in Section 3 above, times the water and sewer allocation
fee.
c. The water and sewer allocation fee shall be reviewed annually to provide adequate revenue for
related capital expenditures.
d. The water and sewer allocation fee established by the Town Council shall continue until modified
by the Council.
8. MONITORING
a. A review of the water and sewer capacity shall occur at least annually by the Town Council. The
Town Council may request certain data more frequently in their role as the approval authority.
b. Included in the annual review, the Town Council shall receive information on:
1. Year beginning and ending annual average daily flow, and
2. Total number of EDUs issued during the year, and
3. Available capacity, as of December 31st, and
4. Pending and approved projects which have not been connected to the system, and
5. Other information deemed relevant to water and sewer capacity.
9. APPLICABILITY
This policy is subject to the availability of water and sewer capacity. The Town is not responsible
for any contingency that affects the timing or ability to connect to the Town’s water and sewer
systems, which is beyond the control of the Town.
10. EFFECTIVE DATE
This policy shall be effective on the date of adoption by the Town Council.
Revision: Adopted by the Town Council on November 20, 2025 and effective November 20, 2025
by Resolution 12-2025.
Revision: Adopted by the Town Council on January 10, 2019 and effective January 10, 2019 by
Resolution 01-2019.
Revision: Adopted by the Town Council on June 1, 2017 and effective July 1, 2017 by Resolution 10-
2017.
Revision: Adopted by the Town Council on April 5, 2007 by Resolution No. 03-2007
Original: Adopted by the Town Council on December 22, 2005 by Resolution 05-18
Exhibit A
Capacity Management Report
CMP Submittal to
MDE 2024.08.16.pdf

Exhibit B
Flow Calculation Table
Table I - Flow Projection Based Upon Gallons Per Person Per Day
Exhibit C
Sewer Capacity Estimate May 2024
Sewer Capacity
Estimate SCH A 22 5.1.24.xlsx