Calvert County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Calvert County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
PFAS and arsenic in drinking water
The draft plan omitted known PFAS contamination near the Naval Research Lab area and relied on arsenic data from 2003. The commission required updated sections on both before recommending adoption.
Critical Area clearing and replanting relief
Maryland has tightened Critical Area variance rules effective immediately. Future applicants must show substantial need beyond convenience or financial advantage, prove their project can't be located outside the habitat protection area, and comparison properties must be truly similar. Board members expect more detailed orders and possibly more denials.
Neeld Estate shoreline protection and first Shore Erosion Control District
A $791,713 living shoreline project (third headland breakwater, sand fill, marsh grass) for 118 Neeld Estate homes, funded by a 20-year 0% DNR loan repaid through a $335.47 annual levy per residence. 83% of residents petitioned for it; decision comes August 4.
Tidal water quality monitoring results
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory's annual update shows Solomons water quality roughly average, some improvement possibly tied to septic investments, and Plum Point Creek flagged as needing attention. Researchers recommended preserving tidal wetlands and focusing septic upgrades on Mill, Plum, and Hungerford creeks.
Upper Mill Creek restoration
Developed land in the upper Mill Creek watershed hit 38.8% with 14% impervious surface in 2023 — past the 10% threshold where streams show distress. The plan revision aims to limit new pavement and require stormwater controls in the proposed Edge Commercial District.
Sunken Vessel in Back Creek
A 40-foot boat sunk near the Lower Oyster House in Solomons has been leaking fuel with no cleanup ever done. The board committed up to $2,500 to get it out of the water.
County energy modernization projects
A $1.07 million state grant will fund a new courthouse cooling tower, a solar feasibility study, and solar-powered light poles at county facilities — cutting energy costs and emissions.
Migratory birds and Lights Out Month
The county proclaimed May as Lights Out Month, asking residents to dim unnecessary lights at night to protect the millions of migratory birds crossing Calvert County — with Commissioner Hart noting his struggle signing it amid the data center debate.
Wetlands, forest, and Chesapeake/Patuxent water quality at the AWS site
Environmental Commission members said the proposed AWS site sits on top of wetlands and forested headwaters of St. Leonard Creek, which drains to the Patuxent and the Chesapeake — land previously flagged in 2011 Calvert Cliffs studies. They argue a study is possible even without a final site plan.
Rural Legacy expansion and preservation near Lusby
Planning & Zoning sought direction on expanding Rural Legacy outreach for 2026, part of the county's 40,000-acre preservation goal with over 32,600 acres already preserved. A commenter highlighted ecologically and historically significant land in Lusby between the nuclear plant and LNG facility.
Amendment to Ten-Year Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan 2019-2028
A private company wants to open a 750-ton-per-day construction and demolition waste recycling and transfer station on Catch Road. It needs to be added to the county's solid waste plan before the state will issue a permit, and it could raise the county's recycling rate.
Outdated stormwater rainfall models
Friends of Hunting Creek says the county's stormwater systems are designed on rainfall models that understate today's storms, flooding budgets and waterways. A CBL report was delivered in 2024, but ordinance fixes keep slipping — now to mid-2026 — and the group wants faster action before developers lock in approved plans.
Steep slope runoff concerns in Chesapeake Ranch Estates
Neighbors downstream of the Reed property fear construction runoff will damage their homes. The applicant came back with a permanent earth berm and stone outlet to steer water onto a protected green space lot, and the board approved with those protections as conditions.