Letter to the Editor: School Planners Ignore Downside of Well Drilling

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Calvin Eugene Singhas's 55 years of well drilling experience ("Well Driller Has Made His Mark All Over Loudoun," Loudoun Extra, April 19) should serve as a cautionary tale to our county planners and leaders. Unfortunately, Loudoun's school planning staff and School Board simply aren't paying attention.

The article recalls some of the first wells Mr. Singhas dug in the 1950s in Broad Run Farms. It doesn't mention that 30 wells in this neighborhood are now contaminated by trichloroethylene (TCE), a volatile organic chemical leaching from the adjacent Hidden Lane Landfill. The homes there need expensive filtration systems, and our tax dollars might be used to extend public water service into Broad Run Farms.

With each passing decade, Mr. Singhas must drill deeper and deeper to reach the water table. Many of Loudoun's older wells are failing as the subsurface water level drops.

As mentioned in the article, the newest wells dug by Mr. Singhas are at Wheatland, in rural western Loudoun. This array of 13 wells is to serve a three-school complex proposed by the Loudoun County public school system.

Neighboring farmers earn a living cultivating 400 acres of the most productive farmland in Loudoun. They rely on wells to irrigate their crops, and they are very concerned about the impact of an adjacent school complex drawing 72,000 gallons of water per day. In comparison, if these parcels were developed for housing, the 35 allowed homes would draw less than one-fifth of the water required by the schools.

In addition to wells, these schools will need a massive, multimillion-dollar waste treatment system and dozens of acres of septic fields.

Again, a look back to Broad Run Farms is enlightening: In the early 1990s, the mass failure of its septic fields forced the county to extend sewer lines to serve the neighborhood.

Loudoun County's Revised General Plan recognizes the impact of large public facilities such as schools and clearly states that whenever possible, they should be located in, or immediately adjacent to, towns and villages. If the school district followed the General Plan, these schools would be located near Lovettsville and would be able to tap into the town's water and sewer infrastructure. Lovettsville's right to draw from the Potomac River offers protection against a dropping water table, and its sewer system is state-of-the-art.

The General Plan recognizes the importance of protecting our natural resources, our farms and our quality of life. These schools should be in the growing town of Lovettsville, where they can be a part of the community they serve. They should not be in undeveloped Wheatland.

Please attend the public input session at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Lovettsville Elementary School to find out more and voice your concerns.

Dan Schmidt, Purcellville

Tagged: environment, Letter to the Editor, opinions, schools, water

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