The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted Sept. 8 to grant Hamilton a special exception to operate a municipal well, even though the town requested to withdraw its application.

The motion passed 6-3, with Supervisors Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) and Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) voting against it.

The town had attempted to withdraw its application, with the council saying they did not believe a special exception was actually necessary to operate the well.

The well, known as Well 14, would supply town customers, including Harmony Intermediate School and Kenneth W. Culbert Elementary School. It is located just southwest of the town and is part of the Hamilton Joint Land Management Area (JLMA). It can yield up to 280,000 gallons per day safely, but the town plans to use about 120,000 gallons per day.

Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge) argued that the town needed the well, and needed the special exception to operate the well.

“The zoning administrator has ruled that the special exception is required, and that is the only opinion that matters,” Burton said. “By [granting] the special exception and approving it with conditions that are favorable to the town … we are in fact doing the town a favor. If we don’t approve this special exception, they will be in danger of future litigation.”

County Attorney John Roberts said that if the town had not received a special exception, the county would have had to take steps to prevent the town from using the well. The town did not have to pay any fees to receive the special exception.

Miller argued against granting the town a special exception, since the town had tried to withdraw its application.

“It seems ridiculous to approve an application that the applicant has asked us to halt,” he said. “We shouldn’t be granting special exceptions to people who don’t want them.”