SALISBURY, Md.- After years of litigation and state fines, the city of Salisbury welcomed a completely redesigned wastewater treatment plant on Wednesday.
"Ladies and gentleman, our long municipal nightmare is over," Mayor Jake Day said.
City Council President Jack Heath says the lawsuit postponed the progress of the plant, which took seven years to complete once the design was finalized.
"We employed a technology for a plant that was not tested, tried and true. I think we've now seen what the price is for that," Heath said.
Director of Infrastructure and Development Amanda Pollack says it's been a long road, but she's excited to see the treatment plant completed and running smoothly.
Pollack says the facility will also allow for further growth in the city that wasn't previously capable.
"When a subdivision or a new developer came into town we would say well, we don't have the capacity for that. Now we have plenty of capacity," Pollack said.
The new design of the facility is not only benefiting households in Salisbury, but the Wicomico River as well.
"I'm happy to report that as we stand here today, that the effluent entering the Wicomico River from this facility is cleaner than at any point in our history," Day said.
Day says the facility has show a 70% reduction in nitrogen and a 92% reduction in phosphorous to the river, and in turn the Chesapeake Bay.