6 0 [9 0 O p . A tt ’y EN VI RONM EN T P UB L I C U TI LI TI ES

– S AN I T ARY D I STRI CTS

– S MART G R O WT H L AW

– O B L I GAT IO N OF S AN I T ARY C OMMI SS I ON T O P ROVI DE S E WER C ONN E CT I ON W HE N S TATE F UNDI NG I S L I MIT ED B Y S MART G ROWT H L AW

A pr i l 13, 2005

B oa rd of C ou nty C om m issi on ers Q u e e n A n n e ’s C o u n ty Y ou have r eques t ed our opi ni on conce r ni ng t he l aw gover ni ng t he C ount y ’ s ext en s i on of i t s s ew er age s y s t em t o s ubdi vi s i ons on K entI s l a nd , w he r e manypr op e r t i e s ha ve fa i l i ng s e pt i c s y st em s. S tate f u n d in g f o r th is e x ten sio n w o u ld a p p a re n tlyb e lim ited to pr ovi di ng s er vi ce t o devel oped pr oper t i es . H ow ever , i n s om e of the s ame subdi vi s i ons t her e ar e undeve l oped l ot s t hatar e barr ed by r egul at i on fr om empl oy i ng i ndi vi dual s ept i c s y s t ems due t o l ot co n d it ion s. S tat e law g en era lly r eq u ir es th at a c o u n tysan it ary c o m m iss io n p ro v id e a c o n n e c tio n to a se w e ra g e sy ste m f o r a ll p ro p e rties a b u tti n g th e ro a d o r rig h t-o f -w a yin w h ich a se w e r lin e is pl ace d. W i t h r efe r ence t o fours cena r i os , y ou have as ked aboutt he e x ten t to w h ich th e C o u n ty m a ylim it n e w se rv ice c o in c id e n t w ith th e lim ita tio n s o n S ta te f u n d in g . W e have t aken t he l i ber t y of sum m ar i zi ng and re or der i ng y our q u e stio n s f

o r p u rp o se s o f

a n a ly sis . S p e c if

ica lly , y o u h a v e a sk e d : 1

. If v a c a n t lo ts a re in ter sp e rse d a m o n g o c c u p ied lo ts w ith in a s ubdi vi s i on and fr ont on t he r oads and r i ght s - of- w ayi n w hi ch t he s ew er l i nes w i l l be i ns t al l ed, m ay the vacant l ot s be excl uded fr om s e r v i c e ? 2. M ayvaca ntl ot s be exc l uded fr o m s er vi ce i f t he l ot s do notfr onton t he r oads and r i ght s - of- w ayi n w hi ch sew erl i nes w i l l be in sta lled ? F o r e x a m p le, if a b lo c k c o n sis ts o f

v a c a n t lo ts o n b o th s i des of t he s t r eet , m us tt he C ount yp lace a s ew erl i ne al ong t he st reett o serve t ho se l ots ? 3

. A ss u m e th a t v a c a n t lo ts i n te r sp e rse d w ith o c c u p ied lo ts fr onton t he r oads and r i ght s - of- w ay i n w hi ch t he s ew erl i nes w i l l be i ns t al l ed. A s s um e al s o t hatt hes e l ot s ar e unbui l dabl e undercur r entG en. 60] 61

s ept i c sy s t em r egul at i ons , but t hat devel opm ent of t he l ot s m i ghtbe ap p rov ed if alt ern ati v e tec h n o log ies fo r sew ag e d ispo sal are em ploy ed o r i f l ots are com bine d to c re at e l argerl ots t hat can use convent i onal s ept i c s y s t ems. M ayt hes e l ot s b e ex cl uded fr om s er vi ce? O nce the l ot s become b u il d abl e, w oul d t he C ount ybe requi red t o p rovi de co nn ect i on s t o the sy st em for t hese l ots ? 4. M ayt he C ounty excl ude fr om s er vi ce thos e fa r m s and w oodl and ar eas t hatfr onti nt er cept orl ine s t hatw i l l connec t su b d iv isio n s to th e tre a tm e n t p lan t? F o r th e re a so n s e x p lain e d b e lo w , w e c o n c lu d e : 1. T he C ount y w il l b e r equi r ed t o pr ovi de a c onnect orfor eac h vaca ntl otw i t hi n a s er vi ce a rea that i s i nt er s per s ed among devel oped l ot s al ong a r i ght

- o f-w ayi n w hi ch a s ew erl i ne i s l ai d. N onet hel es s , s ew er age s er vi ce may notnece s s ar i l ybe ava i l abl e for everys uch l ot

. For exampl e, t he C ount ym i ghti m pos e a mor at or i um orot herr es t r i ct i on on s ervice for new devel opm entbeca us e of u til ity -re late d re a s o n s su c h a s in su f f icie n t trea tm e n t p lan t ca p a c ity ort he Secr et ar yof t he Envi r onm entm i ghti m pos e res t r i ct i ons on new connec t i ons fort he prot ect i on of w at er s of t he St at e. A bs ent s uch r es t r ict i ons , how ever , t he ow nerof t he vac antl otw oul d be el i gi bl e fors ew er age s er vi ce. 2. T he C ount yi s n o tnece s s ar i l yobl i gat ed t o pr ovi de s er vi ce t o a s t r eetw i t h vaca ntl ot s . U nder St at e l aw , a s ani t arycomm i s s i on m a yd e ter m in e th e e x ten t o f se w e ra g e s e rv ice s b yd e f in in g its s er vi ce a r ea. I f t her e i s no cur r entneed f ora sew er li ne al ong a s t r eetand i tw oul d be feasible t o des i gn a s y s t em w i t houtl ay i ng a l i ne al ong t hats t r eet , t he s t r eet coul d be excl uded fr om t he def i ned s e rv ic e a re a . 3

. C o n s i s t e n t wi t h o u r a n s wer t o t he fi r s t ques t i on, t he C ount yw oul d be r equi r ed t o pr ovi de a connec t or for eac h vaca ntl ot w i t hi n a defi ned s er vi ce ar ea, even i f an a l t ernat i ve s ew age di s pos al t echnol ogy w er e avai l abl e or a combi nat i on of t hatl otw i t h another wo u l d ma k e a s e p t i c s y s t e m t e c h n i c a l l yf e a s i b l e . Un d e r S t a t e l a w, a l otow ner m ay not us e a t r adi t i onal s ept i c sy s t em oran al t ernat i ve tec h n o lo g yf

o r se w e ra g e se rv ice w ith in a sa n itary dis trict if a p u b lic s ew er age s y s t em i s avai l abl e. T hus , i f vac antl ot s i nt er s per s ed among devel oped l ot s ar e w i t hi n t he s er vi ce a r ea, nei t hert r adi t i onal s ept i c s y s t ems noral t er nat i ve t echnol ogi es m aybe us ed. O n t he ot herhand, i f publ i c s ew er age s er vi ce i s unava il abl e due t o other fac t or s , t he l otow nerm aybe abl e t o combi ne l ot s i n a mannert hat6 2 [9 0 O p . A tt ’y

T h e s u b d i v i s i o n s an d

th e ant i c ip at edp h as e i nwh i chs ew er age 1 servicewould be ex t en d edareas follows: Kent I sland Estates and Romancoke ( Phase 1); Ke ntmorr an d Qu een Anne’s Colony (Phase 2) ; Batt’s Neck (

Normans) , Chesapeake Estate s, Matapea ke Estates, a

nd Sunny I sle of Ke nt (Phase 3); Dominion and MarlingFa rms (Phase 4) ; and Tower Gardens (Phase5). w oul d al l ow cons t ruct i on of an i ndi vi dual s ept i c s y s t em or e m pl oy a ltern a tiv e tec h n o lo g yf o r se w a g e d isp o sa l. 4

. A s ani t ar y comm i s s i on i s not r eq u i r ed t o pr ovi de s ew er age s er vi ce out s i de def i ned s er vi ce a r eas . T he pl ace m entof an i nt er cept orl i ne nec es s aryt o connec ta s er vi ce ar ea t o a t r eatm ent fac i l i t ydoes notm ake p rop ert i es out s i de t he s er vi ce a r ea thatabut t hatl i ne el i gi bl e fors ew er age s er vi ce. T hus , t he C ount yw oul d not b e r e q u i r e d t o p r o v i d e s e r v i c e t o t h e wo o d l a n d s a n d f a r ms m e n tio n e d in y o u r q u e s tio n .

I Backg r ound Q u e e n A n n e ’s C o u n ty i s c o n sid e rin g a n e x ten sio n o f its w as t ew at ercol l ect i on ors ew er age s y s t em to sever al s ubdi vi s i ons w her e l ot s ar e curr ent l ys er ved byi ndi vi dual s ept i c s y s t ems. M any of t hose ind ividua l s y s t ems ar e fa i l i ng, and t hus caus e ort hr eat en envi r o n m en ta l and hea l t h pr obl ems. T he ext ens i on of s ew er age s er vi ce w oul d l i kel yt ake p lace i n s ever al phas es overa number of y e a rs. W e u n d e rsta n d th a t th e a f f e c ted su b d iv isio n s a re n o t w ith in 1

“ p rio rity f

u n d in g a re a s,” a s d e f

in e d in th e S tate ’s S m a r t G r o w th L a w. A s expl ai ned i n y o u r let t er , t he openi ng of t he i ni t i al s pan of th e W ill iam P re sto n L a n e , Jr. M e m o ria l B rid g e b ro u g h t w ith it cons i der abl e l and s pecul at i on i n Q ueen A nne’s C ount ydur i ng t he 1 9 5 0 s, p a rticu lar lyo n K e n t Isla n d , w h e re a p p ro x im a te ly 7 2 0 0 lo ts w er e pl at t ed and r ecor ded. A tthe t i m e, t he C ount yl acke d zoni ng r egul at i ons . Som e of the l ot s w er e i m pr oved, r el y i ng on i ndi vi dual w el l s and s ept i c s y s t ems. W hi l e t he C ount y ext ended i t s s ew er age sy ste m to a sig n if

ica n t n u m b e r o f

p ro p e rties in 1 9 8 0 , m a n ylo ts cont i nue t o r el yon s ept i c s y s t ems, w hi ch have degr aded ove rt i m e.G en. 60] 63

Your letter

also addre ssed provisions of the County ordinanc e 2 g overningthe County ’s Sanitary District, Chapter 24 of the P ublic L ocal L aws of Q ueen Anne’s County (“PLL ”). In acc ordanc e with our usual prac tice, wedefe r to your County Attorney on questions of local law

. T o gi ve an e xampl e of the curr ent need fors ew er age s er vi ce, y ou not ed t hatt w o s ubdi visi o n s, K entI s l and Est at es and R om ancoke , have be en i dent i fi ed forfutur e s ew er age s er vi ce s i nce th e C o u n ty a d o p ted its f irst c o m p re h e n siv e w a ter a n d se w e r p lan in 1979. T hes e t w o comm uni t i es cur r ent l yi ncl ude appr oxi m at el y765 h o m e s a n d 8 2 0 v a c a n t lo ts. T h e Q u e e n A n n e ’s C o u n tyH e a lth D epar t m ent , E nvi r onm ent al H eal t h D i vi s i on, es t i m at es t hat80% of ex ist ing sep ti c s y s te m s in the se tw o su b d ivisi o n s m ee t th e S tat e’s d e f in iti o n o f a f a iled se p tic sy ste m . M a n y o f th e v a c a n t lo ts w o u ld no t be abl e t o s ust ai n a sept i c sy st em un der curr en t st and ards, beca us e of th e h igh w at ert abl e, poors oi l dr ai nage, and s m al l l ot s i zes . In fa ct , onl ys i x of t he 820 vac antl ot s have a ppr oved p e rc o la tio n te s ts

. W e under s t and t haty ou hav e m et w i t h r epr es ent at i ves of t he M ar y l and D epar t m en t of Pl anni ng conce r ni ng t he ext ens i on of s e w era g e se rvice to are as in n ee d , the a p p li ca ti o n o f th e S tat e’s envi r onm ent al and Sm ar tG r ow t h s t atut es , an d the avai l abi l i t yof f u n d in g a ss ista n c e . F ro m th o se d is c u ss io n s, y o u b e liev e th a t S tate f u n d in g w o u ld b e a v a ilab le f o r e x ten sio n o f

a se w e ra g e sy ste m to s er ve exi s t i ng devel oped l ot s w i t h fai l i ng s ept i c sy s t ems, butt hat St at e fundi ng w oul d notbe avai lable t o s er ve new devel opm entor v a c a n t l o t s o r o t h e r p r o p e r t i e s a l o n g t h e p a t h o f t h e s e we r a g e s y s t e m. Y o u p o int ou t th at S tat e law req u ir es a co u n tysan it ary c o m m is s io n to p ro v i d e s e rv ic e s to a b u ttin g p ro p e rt yo w n e rs . See A nnot at ed C ode of M ary l and, E nvi r onm ent A r t i cl e (“ E N ”) §9- 601 et s eq . Y ou ar e conc er ned about r econc i l i ng t hi s m andat e w i t h t he l i m i t at i ons on St at e fundi ng and as k forouropi n ion on y our obl i gat i on t o pr ovi de s er vi ce. 26 4 [9 0 O p . A tt ’y

In acc ordanc e with our policy g overning reque sts f or o pinions 3 from local governments, you included with your re quest a leg al memorandum prepare d on your beh al f by Patrick M. Shelley , Esquire, McGuireWoods, L LP, which addre ssed both State and County law. Priority fu ndingare a s arede signated by statut e or

by a c ounty 4 applying statutory

criteria. SFP §§5-7B -02, 5-7B -03. The State programs subjec t to the fundinglimit ati ons of the 5 Smart Growth L aw a

re se t forth in the definition of “growth-related projec t.” SeeSFP §5-7B- 01(d). The B oard of

Public Works may

waive therestric tions of the Smart Growth L aw if it finds that thereareextraordinary circ umstances, ba sed on c ri te ri a se t f or th i n th e statut e . SF P §5 -7 B -0 5. In add it ion , a State ag ency may approvefundingfor a

projec t outside a priority fundingare a under c ertain circumstanc es without the need for Board of Public Works approval, e.g., where the project is require d to protect the public he alth or safe ty or whe re f

ederal funds are involved and c ompliance with theSmart Growth statute would beincon s i s tent with fede ral law . SFP §5-7B- 06. No neof these fa c tor s a

pp e ars to a

pp ly to e xten din gse rv ic e to undevelope d proper

ties. II E f f ect of Sm art G row t h L aw T he l egal m emora ndum acc om pany i ng y ourl et t er as s er t s t hat 3 a l i m i t at i on on St at e fundi ng fora pr oj ectt o connec ta s ew er age s y s t em t o vaca ntl ot s abut t i ng t he pr opos ed s y s t em “appear s t o be di r ect l yi n confl i ctw i t h t he S t at e’ s m andat e t hat t he C ount ypr ovi de s e w e r s e rv ic e t o a l l a b u ttin g p a rc e ls w h e n it in s ta lls a n e w lin e .” T h e re stric tio n o n S tate f u n d in g to su p p o rt n e w d e v e lo p m e n t is p rem ised o n w h at i s co m m o n lyref erred to as the S tat e’s “ S m art G r ow t h L aw , ” codi fi ed pr i m ar i l yi n t he A nnot at ed C od e of M ar y l and, St at e Fi nance and Pr ocur ement A r t i cl e ( “SFP”) §5- 7B

- 01 et s eq . S u b

jec t to so m e e x c e p tio n s, th e S m a rt G ro w th L a w re stric ts S tate f u n d in g f o r g ro w th -re late d p rojec ts to th o se w ith in “ p rio rity f u n d in g a re a s” a n d lim its S tate f u n d in g f o r g ro w th -re late d p rojec ts 4 out s i de t hos e ar eas . SFP §5- 7B

- 04( a)

. W e under s t and t hatt he 5 su b d iv isio n s in q u e stio n a re n o t in o n e o f th e C o u n ty ’s p rio rity fun ding areas. T he ava i l abi l i t yof fundi ng i s n o doubta keyfac t ori n t he C ount y ’ s deci s i on t o pr ocee d w i t h const ruc ti on of s ew er age in f ra stru c tu re . N o n e th e les s, th e C o u n ty ’s o b lig a tio n s u n d e r S tateG en. 60] 65 l aw t o s er ve ce r t ai n pr oper t i es and the avai l abi l i t yof St at e fundi ng f o r su c h s e r v ic e s a re d istin c t issu e s. A s w e h a v e p re v io u sly expl ai ned, “t he [Sm ar tG r ow t h] s t atut e does notpr ohi bi tal t oget her devel o p m en tof gr ow t h- r el at ed pr oj ect s orr es t r i ctt he author i t yof pr i vat e deve l oper s orpol i t i cal s ubdi vi s i ons t o under t ake s uch pr oj ect s . R at her , i t s i m pl y pr ohi bi t s t he St at e fr om s ubs i di zi ng s uch p r o j e c t s o u t s i d e o f d e s i g n a t e d a r e a s . ” 84 O pi ni ons of

the At t or ney G ener al3 3 , 3 4 (1 9 9 9 ). III Sani t ary D i s t ri ct A . G e n e ra lly T he Q ueen A nne’ s C ount ySani t aryD i s t r i cti s es t abl i s hed by l ocal l aw . PL L § 2 4 -1.A

. T he ena bl i ng aut hor i t yfort hatl aw i s s et for t h i n St at e l aw . E N §9- 601 et s eq . A sa n itary dis trict is “ a p u b lic corpor at e bodyt hatexer ci s es pu b li c and e s s ent i al gover nm ent f u n c tio n s, f

o r th e p u b lic h e a lth a n d w e lf a re .” E N § 9 -6 0 7 (a ). It is es t abl i s hed purs uant t o t he pol i ce pow er s of t he St at e. 58 O pi ni ons of the At t or ney G ener al 1 8 6 , 1 8 9 (1 9 7 3 ). E x c e p t as lim ited b yT itl e 9, Subt i t l e 6 of the Envi r onm entA r t i cl e, a s ani t ary di s t r i cthas al l t he pow er s gr ant ed t o M ar y l and corpor at i ons undert he G ener al C o rpo rati o n L aw . E N § 9 -63 2 (b). T h e go v ern ing b o d y o f a san it ary d istri ct i s a s an it ary c o m m iss io n . E N § 9 -6 2 1 . In Q u e e n A n n e ’s C o u n ty , the C o u n ty Commi s s i o n e r s s i ta s t h e D i s t r i c t ’ s Sa n i t a ryCommi s s i o n . PLL § 2 4 -4 .A

. A m o n g o th e rp o w e r s , a s a n it a r y d is tr ic t m a y a c q u ir e , c o n stru c t, an d o p era te a s ew era g e sy stem

. E N § § 9 -60 1 (j ) an d (n), 9-6 0 7 (b), an d 9 -66 5

. A san it aryd istri ct ha s co u n ty -w ide a u th o ri ty

. In cons i der i ng t he pr ovi s i on of s er vi ces , a s ani t arycomm i s s i on m ay c re a te o r a lter in d iv id u a l se rv ice a re a s a n d se rv ice su b a r e a s w ith in t he d i st ri ct

. E N §§ 9-647 , 9-648 , and 9-652

. A “ser v ice area” i s a “ d e f i n e d g e o g r a p h i c a r e a t h a t i s e s t a b l i s h e d a s a s e r v i c e a r e a b y a s a n i t a r yc o mmi s s i o n u n d e r[ Ti t l e 9 , Su b t i t l e 6 o f t h e En v i r onm ent A r t i cl e]

. ” EN §9- 601( l ). T o carr youti t s dut i es , a s ani t arydist ri ct m ayacqui r e r eal p rop erty

. E N § 9 -6 6 8

. S u b ject t o li m it ed ex ce p ti o n s, a sa n it ary di s t r i ctm ay acqui r e pr oper t y by emi nent dom ai n. E N §9- 633. I tm ay a c c e p t g ra n ts, E N § 9 -6 3 8 ; b o rro w m o n e yf rom go vernm ent agencies ,6 6 [9 0 O p . A tt ’y

Agri c ult ura l prop e rt

y may no t bea sse sse d unti l a c onne c tio n is 6 made to the proper

ty

. The total a ssessment is the n limit ed to a maximum of 300 fe et of frontag e. EN §9- 657(e)

. Of c ourse, f

or a s p ec i al b enef

it assessment to be valid, the 7 pr o p e rty a s s e s s e d mu s tr e c e i v e a

s p e c i a lb e n e f

i tf r o mth e p u

b l ic improv em en t. Beauc hamp v. Some rset County Sanitary Comm’n , 243 Md. 98, 102, 220 A.2d 135 (1966). Thebenef it to unimproved properties pr e suma bly is th e elig ibi lity

to u sethese we r l ineat so mefuture tim e when the property

is improved. Whil e a sa

nitary district operates as a public utility , its operations 8 g enerally arenot subject t o regulation by the Public Service Commission. See, e .g., Anno tate d Co de of Ma ry land , Pub lic Utili ty

Com pa nie s Artic le (“PUC”) , §5-204 (PSC’s authority over se werag e system construction does not extend to sanitary commissions). E N §9- 640; and s etbenef i tas s es s m ent s , connec t i on char ges , and s e rv ic e c h a rg e s , E N § § 9 -6 5 6 , 9 -6 5 8 , a n d 9 -6 6 2

. A s ani t ar ydi s t r i ct m aycl as s i fypr oper t yforas s es s m ent purpos es i n acc or dance w i t h St at e l aw . E N §9- 657. E xceptfor pr oper t ycl as sifie d as agr i cul tur al , benef i tas s es s m ent s m aybe 6 appl i ed t o anypr oper t yt hatabut s a s ew er l i ne, r egar dl es s of w het her the p rop ertyis i m p rov ed o r u n im p rov ed

. E N § 9 -65 6 (c). A san it ary 7 d i s t r i c tma yi s s u e t a x e x e mpt bo n d s t o f i n a n c e a p r o

j e c t

. EN §§9- 608( b) and 9- 682 et s eq . If b e n e f

it as se ss m e n ts a re in a d e q u a te t o cover debt s er vi ce i n t he next t axabl e y ear , an a d v a l o r e m t ax may b e i m p o s e d o n p r o p e r t y i n t h e s e r v i c e a r e a t o c o v e ra n y d e f i c i e n c y. E N § 9 -6 9 4

. B . O bli

gati on to P r ovide Ser vi ce A s ani t ar y di s t r i ct i s a publ i c ut i l i t y . N or m al l y , i tact s as t he 8 s o le p ro v id e r o f

s e w e ra g e s e rv ic e in a lo c a le

. See 1 1 M c Q u illin , The La w of Mu n i c i p a lCor p o r a t i ons § 3 1. 17 ( 3r d ed. r ev. 2000)

. T he L e g isla tu re c o n tem p late d th a t sa n itary dis tricts w o u ld o p e ra te s e w e ra g e s y s te m s a s m o n o p o lie s . Highf i eld W at erC o. v. P ub. Ser v. C o m m ’n , 4 8 8 F . S u p p . 1 1 7 6 , 1 1 9 0 (D . M d . 1 9 8 0 ). Publ i c ut i l i t y s t atus i m pl i es a dutyt o pr ovi de s ew er age s er vi ce w i t houtdi s cr i m i nat i on. A s t he C our tof A ppeal s has s t at ed:G en. 60] 67

Th e S ani tar

y Commis sio n o f Wo rc e ste r C ounty may ini tially 9 forg o providinga connector to a proper ty that lacks a

plumbing system at the time of construc tion of the sy stem. EN §9-661(a)(2)

.

I ti s axi om at i c t hata publ i c s er vi ce co rpo rati o n , p ri v ate o r m u n ici p al, is un d er a dut yt o fur ni s h t o al l per s ons ap p ly i ng t her efor e t he s er vi ce w h ich i toffe r s w i t hout di s cr i m i nat i on . . . w her e t he s er vi ce r eques t ed is w i t hin t he reasonab l e range o f i t s pl ant, e q u ip m e n t, lin e s o r m a in s . H om e O w ners’L oa n C orp. v. Mayo r & C i t y C ou ncil

of Ba l t i m ore , 175 M d. 676, 680, 3 A

. 2d 747 ( 1939) ; se e a lso B a ir v . M a y o r & C ity C ounci lof

W es tm i ns t er , 2 4 3 M d

. 4 9 4 , 4 9 8 , 2 2 1 A

. 2 d 6 4 3 (19 6 6 ). In th e c a se o f

a sa n itary dis trict, th e G e n e ra l A ss e m b lyh a s d e f in e d th is obl i gat i on i n l egi s l at i on. W h e n c o n stru c tin g a se w e r lin e , a s a n itary co m m iss io n “ a t it s ow n expens e, s hal l cons t ruct a connect or t o t he pr oper t yl i ne of e ach p a r c e l t h a ta b ut s t he w ay i n whi c h t h e . . . s e werl i n e i s l a i d

. ” EN § 9 -6 6 1 (a )(1 ). In m o st d istric ts, th a t o b lig a tio n p e rta in s to b o th im p ro v e d a n d u n im p ro v e d p ro p e rties

. W h e n c o n stru c tio n is 9 compl et e, t he s ani t ar ycomm i s s i on m us tgi ve not i ce t o eac h abut t i ng pr oper t yow ner . E N §9- 661( b)

. “O n r ece i ptof t he not i ce of compl et i on and by a t i m e s et by the s ani t ar y com m is s i on , ” t he ow ner is re q u ire d to p a yth e a p p ro p ria te c o n n e c tio n c h a rg e a n d c o n n e c t to the s ew era g e sy stem

. E N § 9 -66 1 (c). T h ese p rov isi o n s are m andat or y , and th e o n l yd i s c r e t i o n acc or ded the s ani t arycomm i s s i on is th e tim in g o f th e c o n n e c tio n . T h e o b lig a tio n u n d e r E N § 9 -6 6 1 to cons t ructconnec t or s per t ai ns t o s ew erl i nes w i t hi n a s er vi ce a r ea onl y i f t he l i nes ar e des i gned t o s er ve i ndi vi dual pr oper t i es ; i tdoes notappl yt o i nt er cept orl i nes des i gned pri m ar i l y t o carr yt he s ew age c o l l e c t e d b y t h e s ys t e m t o a t r e a t m e n tf a c i l i t y. A s ani t ar y comm i s s i on m us t al s o pr ovi de a pr opert y o w ner w hos e pr oper t ydoes notabut a sew er l i ne w i t h a conne ct i on t o t he s ew er age s y s t em at t he pr oper t yow ner ’ s r eques t

. E N § 9 -659. H ow ever , t hi s obl i gat i on ext ends on ly t o pr oper t i es w i t hi n t he d ef ined serv ice area

. T h e l aw sets fo rt h crit eria that th e s a n ita ry comm i s s i on m us tcons i deri n defi ni ng a s er vi ce a r ea:

. . . i n cons i der i ng a pr opos ed s er vi ce a r ea, t he s ani t ar ycomm i s s i on . . . m aynotcr eat e or6 8 [9 0 O p . A tt ’y

Whil e a sa

nitary district has b ro ad dis cre tion to define ser vice 10 are as within the county , or in the case of a mul ti-county district, within the cou n t i es , that discretion is not unlimi ted. A sanitar y district may

not compel a municipality

to forfe it its rights in operatingan ex i s t ing municipal sy stem. EN §9-643. See Garrett Co u n ty Sanitary Dist. v. Mayor &Town Council of Oakland, 2 4 9 M d

. 400, 405, 240 A.2d 228 (1968). A moratorium is by definition a tempor ary

restric tion. Smoke 11 Rise, Inc

. v. W

ashington Suburban Sanitary Comm’n , 400 F. Supp. 1369, 1 3 8 3 ( D

. M d

. 1 9 7 5 )

. Wh i l e s e w e r h o o k

- u p s m ay b e d e l aye d

f o r ut i l i tyre late d r e a so ns , a

sanitary c omm iss ion

is e xpe c te d to makeprov isi on in planningany

expansion for rea sonable and natural growth. 11 McQuillin, The Law of

Municipal Corporations § 3 1

. 1 7 ( 3 r d e d

. r e v . 2 0 0 0 )

. In planningsy stem development, a county must also take into acc ount development c onsiderations re flec ted i n its compre hensive plan. EN §§9- 50 5( a)( 1) , 9 -5 11 ; se eals o COMAR 26.03.01.02A (“Theobjective of the co unty [ wat er an d s ew er age ] p l ani s t o d ev el o p th e w at er an d s ew er age sy stems in a way

consistent with county

compre hensive planning ”). change a servi ce ar ea unl es s t heyfi nd t hatt he cr eat i on orchange : ( 1 ) I s nece s sary fo r th e ex ist i ng and f u tu re h e a lth , sa f

e ty , a n d w e lf

a re o f th e p u b lic i n gener al ; and ( 2) I s fea sible financ i al l yand fr om an e n g in e e rin g sta n d p o in t. E N § 9 -6 4 7 (b ). A sa n itary co m m iss io n h a s d isc r e tio n w h e th e r to 10 e x t e n d a n y p r o

j e c t t o p r o p e r t y o u t s i d e a d e f i n e d s e r v i c e ar ea. EN §9- 666. O t herfac t or s m ayaff

ect t he ava i l abi l i t yof publ i c s ew er age s er vi ce. For exampl e, i f t he s ani t arycomm i s s i on l acke d s uffi ci ent tr e a tm e n t ca p a c itya t th e tim e n e w se w e r lin e s w e re in sta lled , it coul d decl ar e a mor at or i um ori m pos e r es t r i ct i ons tha tdel ay c o n n e c tio n s f

o r n e w d e v e lo p m e n t f

o r a re a s o n a b le p e ri o d

. S e e , e .g ., U n g a r v . S ta te , 6 3 M d . A p p . 4 7 2 , 4 9 2 A .2 d 1 3 3 6 (1 9 8 5 ), c e rt. deni ed, 47 5 U

. S

. 10 66 (1986 ) ( up ho l ding sew er m orat ori um against con st i tuti on al chall eng e); see al so 2 R a th k o p f

, The Law of

Zoni ng and P l anni ng§ 1 5 :27 (4 ed

. rev . 1 9 7 8 ). F u rt h erm o re, t o saf eg u ard t h 11 aga inst w at erpol l ut i on, t he Secr et aryof t he Envi r onm entm i ght r es t r i cts ew er age se r vi ce t o undevel oped pr oper t i es , t hr ough a gr antG en. 60] 69

Of c ourse, other

laws may

aff ect the abi l i ty

to develop a 12 p art i cu l ar l o t , i n cl u d i n g l aw s unre l at edt o th e av ai l ab i l i ty o f s ew er age service

. For

example, a local a dequatefac ility ordinanc e might affe ct whether or not a pa

rticular proper

ty may be deve loped at a pa rticular time, notwithstanding the a

vailability

of sewerag e ser

vice. condi t i on i n connec t i on w i t h St at e orfede r al fundi ng ort hr ough an a d m in is tr a tiv e o r j u d ic ia l e n f o rc e m e n t a c tio n . See, e. g
. , D ep’ tof E n v’t

. v . Sh o w e ll , 316 M d. 259, 558 A

. 2d 391 ( 1989) ( r ecogni zi ng D epar t m ent ’ s aut hor i t yt o exec ut e cons entor der to f ur t her pr event i on of w at erpol l ut i on)

. I n fac t , a countyi s pr ohi bi t ed fr om appr ovi ng a s ubdi vi s i on pl atorgr ant ing a bui l di ng per m i ti f t he cur r ents ew er age s y s t em i s i nadequa t e t o s er ve t he pr opos ed d e v e lo p m e n t. E N § 9 -5 12 ; W in c a m p P ’sh ip v . A n n e A ru n d e l C o u n ty , 4 5 8 F

. S u p p . 1 0 0 9 , 1 0 1 2 (D

. M d

. 1 9 7 8 ). IV A n a ly sis A . Vacant

L ot s I nters pers ed w i th D eve loped Proper ti es Y ou i ni t i al l y as ked w het hert he C ount yi s obl i gat ed t o pr ovi de s ew er age s er vi ce t o vaca nt l ot s i nt er s per s ed among d ev el oped p ro p e rt ie s th a t w ill b e s e rv e d b y th e p ro p o s e d s e w e ra g e s y s te m . W e as s um e forpurpos es of t hi s ques t i on t hatt he vac antl ot s ar e l ocat ed wi t h i n t h e s a me s e r v i c e a r e a a s t h e d e v e l o p e d p r o p e r t i e s . Und e rEN § 9 -6 6 1 (a ), th e sa n itary c o m m iss io n is o b lig a ted to p ro v id e , at its ow n expens e, “a c onnect ort o t he pr oper t yl i ne of e ach pa r cel t hat abut s t he w ayi n w hi ch t he s ew eri s l ai d. ” E lig ib ili tyf

o r a sew er conn ect or, h o w e v e r, d o e s n o t n e c e ss a rily m e a n a rig h t to se w e ra g e se rv ice . A s e x p la in e d in P a rt III o f th is opi ni on, l ack of t r eatm entfac i l i t ycapa ci t yors i m i l arut i l i t y - r el at ed r eas ons m igh t r es ul ti n a mora t or i um orot herr es t r i ct i ons on new connec t i ons . Fur t her m or e, t he S ecr et ary of t he Envi r onm entm i ght li m itconnec t i ons t o a s ew er age s y s t em under t he D epar t m ent ’s b roa d au tho ri ty to safe g u ard ag ains t w ater p o ll u ti o n . H o w ev er, abs entl aw ful r es t r i ct i ons , t he ow nerof a va cantl otw i t hi n a s er vi ce ar ea w oul d be el i gi bl e fors er vi ce w hen the pr oper t yi s devel oped. 127 0 [9 0 O p . A tt ’y B . V acant L ot s Fr onting R oad W

her e Sew erL ine I

s N ot C ontemplated In y o u r sec o n d sce n ario, v ac an t lots fro n t a st ree t w h ere there is n o n e e d to lay a se w e r lin e to se rv e p ro p e rties w ith f a ili n g se p tic sy ste m s. W e a ss u m e th a t th e c o llec tio n sy ste m c o u ld b e e f f icie n tly desi g n e d t o b ypass t he v acant s t reet

. T he ex cl usi on of those pr oper t i es w oul d t hus notr ender t he desi gn of t he col l ect i on s y s t em i nfea s i bl e fr o m ei t hera fi nanci al orengi neer i ng per s pect i ve. Y ou as ked w het her t he sani t ary comm i s s i on coul d r efr ai n fr om runni ng a s e w e r l in e d o w n th a t s tr e e t. T h e a n sw er to y o u r qu esti o n d ep en d s o n h o w the s an it ary co m m i s s i on defi nes t he s er vi ce a r ea. G i ven t he mi ni m al s t atut ory cr i t er i a fordefi ni ng s er vi ce ar eas , t her e i s no pr ohi bi t i on on defi ni ng a ser vice ar ea t o ex clu d e a n isol at ed area w i t hin i t s bou nd ari es. A lt h o u gh t he af

fec t ed pr oper t yow ner s coul d pet i t i on fort he e x te n s io n o f th e s e rv ic e a re a to in c lu d e th e i r p r o p e rt ie s , s ee EN § 9 -6 4 9 , in o u r v iew , the sa n itar y co m m iss io n c o u ld re a so n a b ly excl ude fr om t he s ervi ce a r ea thos e s t r eet s w her e ther e i s no im m e d ia te n e e d

. C . Ser vi ce Through A lter nati ve Technologi es In y o u r th ird sc e n a rio , v a c a n t lo ts a re in ter sp e rse d w ith occupi ed l ot s al ong a r oad i n w hi ch t he s ew erl i ne w i l l be l ai d. T he vacan tl ots are unb uil dab l e un der curr ent septi c sy st em regul at i on s, b u t m igh t be d ev elop ed w ith o u t sew era g e se rv ice if t h e lots w ere combi ned ori f al t er nat i ve t echnol ogi es w er e used. Y ou as k w het her th e s e lo ts m a yb e e x c lu d e d f ro m s e rv ic e . Y ourques t i on appea r s t o assu m e thata s ani t arycomm i s s i on coul d denys ew er age s er vi ce t o vaca ntl ot s , w hi l e s er vi ci ng n e ig h b o rin g d e v e lo p e d p ro p e rties if in d iv id u a l se p tic s y ste m s c o u ld b e u se d o n th e v a c a n t lo ts. H o w e v e r, S tate law c o n tem p la tes th a t, w hen a sani t ary com m i ssi on com plet es con st ruct i on of a p u b lic s ew er age s y s t em, abut t i ng pr oper t i es i n t he s er vi ce a r ea w i l l r el yon th a t sy ste m in lieu o f in d iv id u a l s e p tic sy ste m s. E N § 9 -6 6 1 (c ); s ee als o CO M AR 2 6

. 0 3

. 0 1

. 0 5

. Th i s a s s u me s , o f c o u r s e , t h a to t h er f a c to rs d o n o t p re c lu d e c o n n e c tio n . T hus , cons i s t entw i t h our answ ert o y ourfi r s tques t i on, t he C ount yw oul d be r equi r ed t o pr ovi de a c onnect orfora vac antl ot w ith in a s er v ic e are a, ev en if an alt ern ati v e tec h n o log yw ere avai l a b l e o r a c o mbi n a t i o n o f t h a t l o t wi t h a n o t h e r wou l d ma k e anG en. 60] 71

Un de r t

heDepa rtme nt of Envi ro nment’ s r e gulatio ns , 13 authorization for individual septic sy stems is based on the prope rty ’s status under the County ’s wate r and se wer plan. Therefore, authorization fo r t his c onstr

uc tio n b a se d o n unavaila bil ity of a c c e ss t o th e pu

bli c sew er age system would need to beref lected in the pla

n. Of c ourse, the plan would be subjec t to the Depar tment’s approval. EN §9-507. The Gene ral Assembly has established a grant program un der 14 wh ic hc o unti e s ma

y qu a li f y f o r f un d in gf o r inn o v ati v e an d

a lt e r n ati ve septic sy stems for cer

tain proper

ties. SeeEN §9-1401 et seq. However, thi s p ro gra

m ha s n ot b e e n f

un de d d uringthepa st s e ve ral ye ars . i ndi vi dual s ept i c s y s t em t echni cal l y fea s i bl e, and t he pr oper t yow ner w oul d be expe ct ed t o connect to t he s y s t em. H ow ever , i f s er vi ce w er e unava i l abl e t hr ough t he publ i c s ew er age sy s t em, an i ndi vi dual s ept i c s y s t em m i ghtbe cons t ruct ed by combi ni ng l ot s oral t ernat i ve 13 t echnol ogyfors ew age di s pos al m i ghtbe empl oy ed, eit h eras an i nt er i m or l ong- t er m al t er nat i ve, i n a mannerper m i s s i bl e undert he D e p a rtm e n t o f

E n v iro nm ent’ s r egu l at i on s. See CO M A R 26. 03. 01. 05 and 26. 04. 02. 06. 14
D . A gr i cultural

and U ndeveloped A r eas O ut

s i de Ser vi ce Area Y ourfi nal s cena r i o conce r ns farm and w oodl and pr o p erti es t h a tf r o n ts e we rl i n e s n e c e s s a r yt o t r a n s p o r ts e w e r a g e f r o m a d e s i g n a t e d s e r v i c e a r e a t o a t r e a t me n t p l a n t

. I n o u rv i e w, co n n ec ti o n s d o n o t h av e to b e p rov ided to thes e p rop erti es if t h eyare o u t s i d e t h e d e s i g n a t e d s e r v i c e a r e a . Re a d i n i s o l a t i o n , EN § 9

- 6 6 1 ( a ) ( 1 ) mi g h t b e i n t e rp r e t e d t o r e q u i r e a c o n n e c t o r f o rany pr oper t yabut t i ng anys ew erl i ne. H ow ever , a pr i nci pal t enetof statu toryco n stru cti o n is th a t, w h en p art of a g en era l st atuto ry sc h e m e , the s e c tio n s o f a sta tu te m u st b e re a d to g e th e r to a sc e rta in th e tr u e in te n tio n o f

th e L e g is la tu re . E ng’

g M gm t

. Ser v. v. Mar

yland St at e Highw ay Adm i n. , 3 7 5 M d

. 2 1 1 , 2 2 4 -25 , 8 2 5 A

. 2 d 9 6 6 (20 0 3 ). A s ani t ar y comm i s s i on’ s di s cr et i on t o defi ne s er vi ce a r eas w oul d be s ever el yunder m i ned i f i tw er e r equi r ed t o pr ovi de s ew er age s er vi ce t o everyi nt er m edi at e pr opertybet w een a t r eatm entfac i l i t yand a d e f i n e d s e r v i c e a r e a . Th u s , i n o u ro p i n i o n , t h e o b l i g a t i o n u n d e rEN § 9 -6 6 1 (a )(1 ) to se rv e a b u tti n g p ro p e rties d o e s n o t ex ten d to i nt er cept orl i nes out s i de a s er vi ce a r ea. B eca us e t he prope r t i es y ou des cr i be w oul d be out s i de the def i ned s er vi ce a r ea, s ew er age connec t i ons w oul d nothave t o be pr ovi ded.7 2 [9 0 O p . A tt ’y V C oncl usi on It is o u r o p in io n th a t: 1. T he C o u n tyw i l l be r equi r ed t o pr ovi de a c onnect orfor eac h vaca ntl otw i t hi n a s er vi ce a r ea th at is i nt er s per s ed among devel oped l ot s al ong a r i ght

- of- w ay i n w hi ch a s ew er l i ne is l ai d. N onet hel es s , s ew er age s er vi ce maynotnece s s ar i l ybe ava i l abl e for everys uch l ot

. For exampl e, t he C ount ym i ghti m pos e a mor at or i um orot herr es t r i ct ion s o n s er vi ce f ornew devel opm entbeca us e of u til ity -re late d r e a s o n s s u c h a s in su f f icie n t trea tm e n t p lan t ca p a c ity ort he Secr et ar yof t he Envi r onm entm i ghti m pos e r es t ri ct i ons on new c o n n e c t i o n s f

o rt h e p r o t e c t i o n o f

wat e r s o f

t h e St a t e . Abs ent s uch r es t r i ct i on s, how ever , t he ow nerof t he vac antl otw oul d be el i gi bl e fors ew er age s er vi ce. 2. Th e Countyi s notnece s s ar i l yobl i gat ed t o pr ovi de s er vi ce t o a s t r eetw i t h vaca nt l ot s . U nder St at e l aw , a s ani t arycomm i s s i on m a yd e te rm in e th e e x ten t o f se w e ra g e se rv ice s b yd e f in in g its s er vi ce a r ea. I f t her e is n o cur r entneed f ora s ew erl i ne al ong a str ee t and i t w oul d be fea s i bl e t o des i gn a s y s t em w i t hout l ay i ng a l i ne al ong t hats t r eet , t he s t r eetcoul d be excl uded fr om t he def i ned s e rv ic e a re a . 3. C ons i s t ent w it h o u r a n sw er to the fi r s tques t i on, t he C ount yw oul d be re qui r ed t o pr ovi de a connec t orforeac h vaca ntl ot w i t hi n a defi ned servi ce ar ea, even i f an al t ernat i ve s ew age di s pos al t echnol ogyw er e ava i l abl e ora com bi nat i on of t hatl otw i t h another wo u l d ma k e a s e p t i c s y s t e m t e c h n i c a l l y f e a s i b l e . Un d e rS t a t e l a w, a l otow nerm ay not us e a t r adi t i onal s ept i c s y s t em or a n al t ernat i ve te c h n o lo g yf

o r se w a g e se rv ice w ith in a sa n itary dis trict if a p u b lic s ew er age s y s t em i s avai l abl e. T hus , i f vac antl ot s i nt er s per s ed among devel oped l ot s ar e w i t hi n t he s er vi ce a r ea, nei t hert r adi t i onal s ept i c s y s t ems noral t ernat i ve t echnol ogi es m aybe us ed. O n t he ot herhand , i f publ i c s ew er age s er vi ce i s unavai l abl e due t o other fac t or s , t he l otow nerm aybe abl e t o combi ne l ot s i n a mannert hat w oul d al l ow cons t ruct i on of an i ndi vi dual s ept i c s y s t em or e m pl oy a ltern a tiv e tec h n o lo g yf o r se w a g e d isp o sa l. 4

. A san it ary co m m issi o n is no t r eq u ir ed to p rovi de s ew er age s er vi ce out s i de defi ned s er vi ce a r eas . T he pl ace m entof an i nt er cept or l i ne nece s s ary t o connec ta s er vi ce a r ea t o a t r eatm ent fac i l i t ydoes not m ak e pr oper t i es out s i de t he s er vi ce a r ea thatabutG en. 60] 73
t hat l i ne el i gi bl e fors ew er age s er vi ce. T hus , t he C ount yw oul d not b e r e q u i r e d t o p r o v i d e s e r v i c e t o t h e wo o d l a n d s a n d f a r ms m e n tio n e d in y o u r q u e s tio n .

J. Jo sep h C u rran , Jr. A t t or ney G ener al W i l l i am R

. V ar ga A ss i s t an t A tt o rn ey G ener

al R o b e rt N . M c D o n a ld C hi ef C ouns el O pi ni ons and A dvi ce