There's more time to weigh in on a proposed new highway through Charles County that highlights the tensions between growth and environmental protection in Maryland.

The Army Corps of Engineers and Maryland Department of the Environment have announced they are extending the public comment period until Sept. 15 on the county's request for a permit to destroy the wetlands as they build the four-lane highway across the creek.  The public hearing July 31 in LaPlata reportedly was standing-room-only.

In case you missed the Sun story last April about the dispute, local officials say the Cross County Connector is needed to handle the traffic from 8,000 new homes planned along its route and to link the county's growth areas.   If the highway is not built, other roads will have to be widened or built, they say.

But opponents point out the highyway would clear 74 acres of forest in addition to destroying wetlands. They contend the $60 million project would threaten the Mattawoman, an important tributary of the Potomac River and one of the best remaining breeding streams in Maryland for yellow perch, a tasty little fish once plentiful in Chesapeake Bay.

Maybe it's just coincidence, but yesterday came word of a blue-green algae bloom on the Mattawoman.  Though naturally occurring, such algae blooms "may occur in nutrient rich environments", according to the the county health department.  Such blooms can be harmful if the microscopic plants are thick enough or if they produce toxins.

To make written comments on the highway project, go here.