The Maryland Board of Public Works in Annapolis approved more than $12 million in funding today to replace a deteriorating wastewater treatment plant on Smith Island with a facility featuring advanced technology. The board is composed of Governor Larry Hogan, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis and Comptroller Peter Franchot.
Here is a breakdown of the project approved in Somerset County:
Grants and loans totaling $12,491,604 – a $1.6 million Water Quality State Revolving Loan Fund loan, a $2 million grant in the form of loan forgiveness of a Water Quality State Revolving Loan Fund loan and an $8,891,604 Bay Restoration Fund grant – to the Somerset County Sanitary District will help fund the planning, design and construction of a new Biological Nutrient Removal/Enhanced Nutrient Removal (BNR/ENR) wastewater treatment plant to replace the existing Ewell wastewater treatment plant, which is more than 40 years old and in a deteriorated condition.
The project also includes an upgrade of the wastewater collection and conveyance system. Officials say the upgrade will lead to an 83% reduction in nitrogen discharged and a 90% reduction in phosphorus discharged to the Frances Gut and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. Excessive amounts of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus lead to lowered levels of oxygen needed to support aquatic life in waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay.
