Engineering & Planning

To see the proposed changes to the Design Manual and to comment on this document, please visit DESIGN MANUAL FOR WATER AND SEWER UTILITIES UPDATES - PublicInput.

Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Project Management

The Division of Water and Sewer Utilities (DWSU) has an approved Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project list for the next 6 years which includes water and sewer projects and solid waste projects. These projects involve:

• Water and wastewater treatment plants
• Rehabilitation of aging infrastructure
• Sewer interceptors
• Water transmission mains
• Water storage tanks
• Pumping stations
• Certain solid waste management projects

The CIP projects are typically designed via contracts with private engineering consultants.  In many instances, these engineering contracts are coordinated for various local, state and federal approvals.

Project management focuses primarily on the quality, cost and schedule of each CIP project. Certain projects require significant public involvement and are coordinated by each respective project manager in the department. 

Engineering, Planning & Design Review

• As development occurs where public water and sewer are planned, developers must submit numerous documents for approval by many County agencies. 
• The Division of Water and Sewer Utilities (DWSU) routinely provides reviews to the Planning and Permitting Division on all types of plans submitted, where County public water and sewer are affected (not municipalities). For example, the DWSU provides technical reviews on rezoning cases, Phase II PUD plans, preliminary (Phase III) plans, site plans, sketch plans, board of appeals cases, determinations of adequacy for the county’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) and amendments to the water and sewer plan, to name a few.

APFO

These technical reviews require a detailed understanding of the water and sewer infrastructure components and the interdependency of the demands made by the developments, which ultimately impact the County’s ability to consistently deliver adequate water and sewer services. In the DWSU’s case, the Planning and Design Review section must review for compliance with the APFO for water and sewer.

• For water systems, staff must determine if there are adequate source facilities, storage tanks, pumping stations and sufficient capacity to provide maximum daily demand and meet peak hourly demands during fire flows.  The distribution system must be capable of providing minimum required residual pressure to the development.
• For sewerage systems, staff must determine if adequate capacity exists in the infrastructure (treatment facilities, pumping stations, interceptors and collector sewers) to accommodate ultimate peak flows.

A water or wastewater system is considered adequate if remaining capacity exists after an accounting considers all existing connections, future connections from buildings under construction, recorded lots for which allocations have been made, or other legal commitments. Additionally, an accounting of reserved capacities pertaining to state and/or local laws and certain legal commitments by the County (i.e., public works agreements, multi-year tap agreements, etc.), must be carefully tracked to avoid over-allocating the infrastructure. 

Improvement Plans

• Once planning concerns are addressed, the detailed design for a site is submitted for review and approval. These plans are referred to as improvement plans. 
• The DWSU is a key approval agency when public water and sewer are present (but not necessarily within municipalities). 
• The DWSU reviews improvement plans and coordinates the requirements described in the Design Manual for Water and Sewer Facilities, General Conditions and Standard Specifications for Water Mains, Sanitary Sewers and Related Structures (Standard Specifications), Standard Details for Water Mains, Sanitary Sewers and Related Structures (Standard Details), and the Water and Sewer Rules and Regulations.  These documents are located within the Forms and Reference Documents tab on this page.
• Along with other important legal documents, i.e., easements, public works agreements, public improvement agreements, construction contracts, etc., the approved improvement plans become an important instrument to effect proper construction of water and sewer infrastructure.

Easements and Real Property 

All public water and sewer infrastructure entails DWSU review and approval of legal documents that provide perpetual ownership (or property rights) for its infrastructure, either required by the developer or via a CIP project. Because the legal documents are recorded among the Land Records of Frederick County, careful coordination and review is required between many County agencies, most importantly the Office of the County Attorney. 

The DWSU typically must coordinate the improvement plan design with the easement/real property submissions and final plats of subdivision. Sample easement documents and instructions can be found within the Forms & Reference Documents tab on this page.

Water and Sewer Service Inquires 

The public oftentimes has questions about the location and planning of the water and sewer infrastructure. Property owners, real estate agents, developers, assessors, attorneys, engineers and surveyors, to name a few, have a wide range of questions that pertain to public water and sewer service. Generally, the DWSU provides service inquiry letters for properties planned (or served) by public water and sewer. In order to provide this letter, the following information is necessary:

• Property owner’s name and mailing address
• Premise or property address, tax map and parcel number, or tax identification number (contact the Department of Assessments and Taxation)
• Real estate agent’s (buyer or seller) name, mailing address, and telephone number
• Requestor’s name, mailing address, and telephone number
• Specific water and sewer questions or information desired about the property

To submit your information online, please complete the Request for Information Regarding Connection to County Water and/or Sewer and a staff member will respond to your request in writing.

The DWSU does not address questions regarding storm water management, storm drains, ditches or other "water" like uses. These questions should be directed to the Planning and Permitting Division or appropriate municipal/state agencies. 

Please note: Municipal water and sewer requests should be made to the respective jurisdiction. 

Engineering & Planning

Design and Construction 

• Design Manual for Water and Sewer Facilities
• General Conditions and Standard Specifications for Water Mains, Sanitary Sewers and Related Structures
• Standard Details for Water Mains, Sanitary Sewers, and Related Structures
• Standard Details Explanation Memo #15-01, Hydrant Buttresses
• Water and Sewer Rules and Regulations
• Policy Interpretation of Section 1-16-106 of Subdivision Regulations
• Pre-Approved Materials List

Easements

• Procedures for Submission of Water/Sewer Deed of Easement Package
• Deed of Easement Routing Sheet
• Title Letter Example
• Deed of Easement – Water and Sewer (Rev. 1-17-23)
• Deed of Easement – Grinder Pump (Rev. 1-17-23)
• Deed of Easement – Sewer Only (Rev. 1-17-23)
• Deed of Easement – Water Meter (Rev. 1-17-23)
• Full Release of Water and Sewer Easement (Rev. 1-17-23)
• Partial Release of Water and Sewer Easement (Rev. 1-17-23)
• Deed of Easement with Private Improvements (Rev. 10-03-23)
• Standard Operating Procedures for Property Rights Acquisition in Frederick County, MD
• Outreach Presentation for Water and Sewer Easement Process (3-23-18)

Public Works Agreements (PWA)

• Proposal/Contract for Developer Funded Water and Sewer Projects (Instructions)
• Public Works Agreement Construction Estimate Water and Sewer Lineal Projects [Excel Spreadsheet]
• Public Works Agreement (PWA) for Water and Sewer [Fillable PDF]
• Sample Water and Sewer Letter of Credit for Use with PWA
• Proposal Form – Sanitary Sewer and Water Mains (Contract Package)
• Proposal Form – Sanitary Sewer and Water Vertical Projects (Contract Package)

Public Improvements Agreements (PIA)

• Public Improvements Agreement Water and Sewer (Third Party Inspection) [Fillable PDF]
• Inspection Services Agreement
• Surety - Performance Bond [Fillable PDF]  
• Surety Bond Checklist
• Public Improvements Agreement Construction Estimate Water and Sewer Lineal Projects [Excel Spreadsheet]
• Sample Water and Sewer Letter of Credit for Use with Public Improvements Agreement

 Grinder Pump Installations

• Grinder Pump Contract Package (Instructions and Sample Documents)
• Sewer Contract Grinder Pump and Lateral Installation PWA 
• Deed of Easement – Grinder Pump

 Additional Developer Funded Construction Project Forms

• Site Connection Permit for Construction [Fillable PDF]
• Site Disconnect Permit for Construction [Fillable PDF]
• County Inspection Agreement for On-Site Commercial Water/Sewer [Fillable PDF]

Miscellaneous

• Record Drawing Request Form - Paper Submission [Fillable PDF]
• Record Drawing Request Form - Online Submission 
• Request for Information Regarding Connection to County Water and/or Sewer - Online Submission 
• Dumpster Enclosure Resolution and Guidelines
  

Scheduled Meetings:

June 15, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. - Public Informational Meeting for Proposed Changes to the Design Manual for Water and Sewer Facilities.

See the June 1, 2023 News Release for additional information including how to register for the meeting and subscribe to Design Manual updates.

Department Functions

• Planning, design, and construction of all County-owned water and sanitary sewer infrastructure.  
• Water treatment facilities, water booster pumping stations, transmission mains, water storage tanks and distribution mains. 
• Larger wastewater infrastructure components include wastewater treatment facilities, wastewater pumping stations, interceptors, collection systems and treated effluent outfall sewers.

Water & Sewer Infrastructures

• Planned and designed in conformity with the Frederick County Comprehensive Plan. 
• Provides water and sewer service within certain areas bounded and identified in the Water and Sewerage Plan, as 20-year water and sewer service areas. 
• Infrastructure must be planned in concert with the Water and Sewerage Plan and constructed to accommodate projected growth contained within these respective plans. 

Large Infrastructures

• Planned and executed via the County’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). 
• Smaller infrastructure, i.e., sewage collection and water distribution mains, is customarily provided by developers in areas planned to be served by public water and sewer. 
• Planning, design and construction of the smaller infrastructure is managed through various standards administered by the DWSU.

Municipal Infrastructures

• Water and sewer infrastructure for municipalities such as Thurmont, Emmitsburg, Middletown, Myersville, Woodsboro, the City of Brunswick and Mt. Airy is not affiliated with the DWSU since those municipalities own and operate their own respective water and sewer systems. 
• The DWSU does provide sewer service to the Town of Walkersville and a northern portion of Frederick City and water to the Village of Rosemont.

Private Utilities

• The DWSU is not affiliated with or related to any private utilities, e.g., cable television, electric, natural gas, telephone, storm water drainage, storm water management facilities, etc. 
• Questions relating to these types of utilities should be directed to the appropriate company, county agency or municipality.