Tenmile Creek (Maryland) Explained

Tenmile Creek is a tributary stream of Little Seneca Creek in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Course

The headwaters of the stream originate in Thompsons Corner area of the county, about 2miles northwest of Clarksburg, and the creek flows south for about 2.5miles, to Little Seneca Lake, a reservoir built on Little Seneca Creek. Little Seneca Creek drains to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Water quality and land use issue

The Tenmile Creek watershed is described as one of the highest-quality stream systems in Montgomery County, according to government studies.^{[1] [2]} It is a drinking water source as part of the Little Seneca system, an emergency water supply for the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.^[3] The creek's main stem is extensively forested and the watershed contains some agricultural land. However, the basin is bisected by an interstate highway, I-270, and in the late 1980s the county began planning for additional land development in the Clarksburg area.^{[2] [4]}

In 1994 the county government had designated a portion of the watershed as a "special protection area" (SPA) to protect water quality by requiring builders to install extensive controls for stormwater runoff.^{[2] [5]} A follow-up study found that after construction of several projects, water quality in the Little Seneca basin was degraded, despite the SPA requirements.^[6] In April 2014, the Montgomery County Council set additional limits on development projects in order to protect the quality of the creek and adjacent habitat.^{[2] [7] [8]} Later that year, developers filed suit against the county, claiming that the county "illegally limited construction on its property."^[9] The U.S. District Court in Maryland dismissed the suit in August 2017.^[10] The district court's dismissal was affirmed by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on November 29, 2018.^[11]

See also

• List of Maryland rivers

External links

• Detailed environmental studies of the Tenmile Creek area - Montgomery County Planning Board

39.1873°N -77.3039°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Montgomery County Stream Conditions 2011—2015 . Watershed Health . Montgomery Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP) . Rockville, MD . 2020-01-28.
2. Book: Hanson, Royce . Suburb: Planning Politics and the Public Interest . Chapter 7. Errors in Corridor City Planning . 2017 . Cornell University Press . Ithaca, NY . 1501708082.
3. MCDEP . November 2003 . Ten-Year Comprehensive Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Plan; 2003-2012 . 3–6.
4. Web site: Clarksburg Master Plan & Hyattstown Special Study Area . June 1994 . Montgomery County Planning Board . Silver Spring, MD.
5. Web site: Little Seneca Creek Subwatershed . . Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP) . Montgomery County, Maryland . Rockville, MD . https://web.archive.org/web/20140304152302/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DEP/water/little-seneca-creek-watershed.html . 2014-03-04.
6. MCDEP . January 2010 . Special Protection Area Program Annual Report 2008 . AR-SPA-08.
7. Web site: Approval of Planning Board Draft 10 Mile Creek Area Limited Amendment to the Clarksburg Master Plan and Hyattstown Special Study Area . . 2014-04-01 . Montgomery County Council . Rockville, MD. Resolution No. 17-1048.
8. News: Turque . Bill . 2014-04-02 . Montgomery council brings official end to battle over Clarksburg’s Ten Mile Creek . Washington Post.
9. News: Turque . Bill . 2014-11-14 . Clarksburg builders file suit, charging that MoCo improperly limited home construction . Washington Post.
10. Pulte Home Corp. and Shiloh Farm Investments v. Montgomery County, Maryland . D. Md. . 2017-08-25 . https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=812542165789757644. Case No. GJH-14-3955.
11. Pulte Home Corp. and Shiloh Farm Investments v. Montgomery County, Maryland . 4th Cir. . 2018-11-29 . http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/Opinions/172112.P.pdf. . Docket no. 17-2112.