ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland's Board of Public Works has approved more than $37 million for sewage treatment plant upgrades and wetlands construction.
The grants approved Wednesday include a $33.5 million grant for Harford County's Sod Run Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The Department of the Environment says that after upgrading, nitrogen discharges at the plant will be cut more than 60 percent and phosphorus emissions will be reduced 85%. The two compounds fuel algae blooms that lower oxygen levels and cloud water in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways.
The grants also fund upgrades at the Joppatowne Wastewater Treatment Plant in Harford County and to prevent sewage overflows at a Cumberland wastewater plant in Allegany County. A $354,000 grant will also fund the creation of 3.5 acres of wetlands in Anne Arundel County.
