High rates of regional development (attributed in great part to its location along the Interstate 95 corridor), proximity to the Washington, D.C. area, quality of life offered by the County’s setting. These were all contributing factors that led to the County's conclusion that a water supply development program needed to be conducted in order to meet projected demands. O’Brien & Gere was ready to help.

By developing a comprehensive water supply planning document, O’Brien & Gere was able to evaluate demand development and several water supply development alternatives to meet anticipated rapid growth in demand levels. O’Brien & Gere’s projections indicated that an additional 20 MGD would need to be developed within the planning period, based upon the current Land Use Plan. It was also determined that significant expansion of the Land Use Plan would likely increase system expansion needs by an additional 50% to 100%.

The study resulted in recommendations for a staged approach to water supply development that focused on cost-effective interim water supply source expansion and diversification, followed by development of more major projects at a time when water supply system revenues would be better able to support these capital expenditures. The Master Plan provided several alternatives for phased implementation of capital improvements, ranging from $60 to $100 million over the planning period, including new sources of supply, transmission mains, pumping stations and water treatment plants. Activities needed to secure the future availability of major reservoir sites would be undertaken immediately, in conjunction with development of water supply expansion programs. This staged approach would allow the County to proceed with segments of the plan based upon growth patterns as they actually emerged and defer capital expenditures to better match anticipated system revenues.