Another very active year has gone by with many additions and changes in our area. I continue to be amazed at the changes and accomplish- ments that our small water company had to make in order to accommodate the community growth and upgrading that has taken place. We have changed from a summer retreat to a full fledged year round family community and our water system has come a long way from the private operator system about to be condemned fifteen years ago, to the near first class system of today.  Our water is obtained from groundwater located several hundred feet from the surface, and has been carbon dated to have fallen on earth some ten thousand years ago.

The Slater Plant and Beaches Water Company Office

We are indeed fortunate to have available such a valuable resource. However, the supply is not unlimited and we must undertake an all-out effort to use every possible means to conserve, particularly summer yard watering use. Our supply is subject to authorizations from the State of Maryland Department of the Environment and regulated as to the total amount we can withdraw in a year as well as the peak daily amount that can be withdrawn. We are at or above our assignments, and your board of directors has taken action to place necessary restrictions, with emphasis on conservation, on yard watering during the peak summer months. The details of these restrictions will be explained in our next newsletter. Please take time to read them carefully and take them seriously. Our manager and staff are working hard to maintain a leak free system and we need all the help we can get to conserve and reduce summer water usage. We thank you all for your help.

Jack Jorgensen, 
President

The sources of our drinking water are from 4 wells in the Nanjemoy and from 4 wells in the Aquia Aquifers, which lie respectfully about 350 and 450 feet below the earth’s surface in a confined layer.  An aquifer is like a underground river, which is tapped by drilling wells and pumping the water to the surface for distribution.  The 350 feet of earth between surface sources of contamination and this underground river helps to purify the water before it actually reaches the aquifer, making it easier for us to treat before we pump it into your water distribution system.  The BWC wells are located in confined aquifers in the coastal plain as classified by the MDE source water assessment plan.  The confined layer offers the greatest amount of protection against surface contamination.  The replenishment zones for our aquifers are located in northern Maryland and southern Pennsylvania.