Watershed Regulations FAQs

While WSSC Water is a public agency, the watershed property is considered private property as it was specifically purchased with ratepayer dollars to provide a protective buffer area for the reservoirs which are a source of drinking water. Anyone found to be on WSSC Water watershed property who does not have a WSSC Water-issued permit is trespassing. 

Daily hours in season are from half hour before sunrise to sunset from March 15 to November 30.

We will have a hotline much like a ski resort. Just call 301-206-4FUN (4386) and select option 1.

WSSC Water maintains bulletin boards at each recreation area to update users about new activities or potential threats. Important updates regarding recreation area closers, stewardship projects, etc. are also posted on our website www.wsscwater.com, as well as on our public Facebook Page - WSSC Watershed Recreation.

Yes. The permit is free of charge. You still must obtain the permit, though. To obtain your complimentary seasonal watershed use permit, you need to visit us at one of the following locations:  

• Brighton Dam Visitor Center, 2 Brighton Dam Road, Brookeville, MD 20833: Open every day from 7 a.m. to sunset from March to October and November to February from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone number: 301-206-7485.
• WSSC Water Cashier’s Office, 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland 20707: Open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Complimentary permits must be obtained in person at one of these two locations.

Anyone with proof of military service, active or retired, will be issued a complimentary watershed use permit.

To obtain your complimentary seasonal watershed use permit, you need to visit us at one of the following locations:  

• Brighton Dam Visitor Center, 2 Brighton Dam Road, Brookeville, MD 20833: Open every day from 7 a.m. to sunset from March to October and November to February from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone number: 301-206-7485.
• WSSC Water Cashier’s Office, 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland 20707: Open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Complimentary permits must be obtained in person at one of these two locations.

Children under 16 don’t need a permit, but they must be with someone who does have a permit. People 65 and older or disabled military veterans and active military on leave will receive complimentary permits.

There are costs associated with removal of trash left by people participating in picnics. WSSC Water has tried to make the fee fair by only requiring one person participating in a picnic to obtain a picnic permit. The cost is directly proportional to the number of people participating. One permit for every 6 individuals between the ages of 16 and 65.

No. A watershed use permit allows the holder to bird watch, boat, picnic, fish, hike, ride a horse, and hunt on the Watershed in authorized areas and during authorized times. 

However, purchase of a picnic permit does not authorize a person to participate in any activity except a picnic.

No. Employees can still receive complimentary watershed use permits. However, their spouses and children 16 years old and older must buy a permit. This is a change from past practices.

These are two different issues. We already coordinate a lot of volunteer work on the watershed to, for example, work on trails, clean culverts and plant trees, and will continue to do so. 

Organizing volunteer patrols to report inappropriate activities or other problems on the watershed is something we are considering as we develop an overall watershed management program.

Our watershed map highlights trails, parking areas, and access points. 

It’s a matter of safety. According to the Coast Guard, drowning is the reported cause of death in 76% of all recreational boating fatalities; of these, 87% were reported as not wearing a life jacket. Eight out of every 10 boaters who drowned were using boats less than 21 feet in length.

WSSC Water’s watershed regulations prohibit surfboards, stand-up paddleboards, windsurfers, or any craft that facilitates frequent body contact with water in the reservoir. 

This decision comes from the fact that WSSC Water's reservoirs are not lakes with gently sloping sides and flat bottoms; they are deep reservoirs with steep drop-offs and submerged hazards that contribute to the number of accidental drownings that occur on the watershed. 

The purpose of our reservoirs is to provide a secured source of drinking water for more than 600,000 of our customers, and we are obligated to protect them. 

The only paddleboards permitted on the reservoirs must have seats. The seat must be fixed to the paddleboard as designed by the paddleboard manufacturer. 

Watershed users cannot strap random seats onto their paddleboard for any reason. There must be a seat for each person on the paddleboard and each person must wear a personal flotation device while on the water.

It was specifically recommended in the EA Engineering study, based on the winter diurnal cycle. That’s the repeated freezing of the ground at night then thawing during the day, which makes the ground softer and more susceptible to erosion.

The intent is to keep people from again cutting new unauthorized trails on the watershed. Horseback riders are certainly free to use common sense and trim branches that could hurt a rider or horse moving down a trail.

Adjacent landowners who would like the convenience to access WSSC Water watershed property from their private property should purchase an adjacent landowner permit, to legally enter the watershed. Any member of the public with a watershed use permit can access the watershed properties from designated access points at the recreation areas. 

Applications for a boarding stable entrance permit and adjacent landowner entrance permit are only available at the WSSC Water’s Production Team Office, located on the second floor of the WSSC Water, 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Maryland 20707 or by calling 301-206-4FUN and selecting option 2.