HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Washington County has promoted longtime county engineer David A. Mason to lead its Division of Environmental Management after he spent much of this year serving as interim director.
Mason’s appointment as division director took effect Tuesday. He has worked for the county government for nearly 22 years, building a career that has taken him from engineering and water quality to oversight of the county’s solid waste operations.
Mason joined the county Engineering Department as a civil engineer in October 2004. Three years later, he moved to the Department of Water Quality as environmental engineer before becoming deputy director of Environmental Management in the Department of Solid Waste in 2014.
That background has put Mason close to many of the less visible services residents depend on, including landfills, recycling, water and sewer operations and environmental compliance.
County records show that he has regularly appeared before commissioners on those nuts-and-bolts issues. In recent years, Mason has presented proposals ranging from landfill fees and recycling contracts to solid waste budgets, and he served as the county’s contact for the Solid Waste Fund.
More recently, Mason has served as interim director of Environmental Management. In March, he presented commissioners with proposed fiscal 2027 water quality and solid waste budgets that held rates steady while addressing long-term infrastructure needs.
His new position puts him in charge as the county pursues several major environmental and infrastructure projects, including improvements at the Forty West Landfill. Commissioners on Tuesday authorized additional engineering work on a proposed landfill pretreatment system that county officials estimate could save roughly $1 million annually in hauling and treatment costs.
Before joining Washington County, Mason worked for two consulting engineering firms as a structural and transportation engineer. He moved to Washington County from southwestern Pennsylvania in 1996, the same year he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a degree in civil engineering technology.
Mason is a licensed professional engineer and a member of the Maryland Recycling Network and County Engineers Association of Maryland. He previously served on the county engineers association’s board of directors.
