WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. - The Maryland Department of the Environment denied a request to exempt residents in the Ocean Pines Sanitary Service Area from paying the Bay Restoration Fee for 2023.
Worcester County officials reportedly applied for the exemption in January. However, MDE officials concluded in May that the 2022 discharge monitoring reports show that the Ocean Pines Wastewater Treatment Plant averaged 2.84 mg/L of total nitrogen, which met the requirement to be eligible for the exemption, but averaged 0.315 mg/l of total phosphorus, which exceeded the eligibility requirement by 0.015 mg/L.
The overage reportedly resulted from a brief spike in phosphorus levels at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, which officials say occurred when manufacturers were unable to supply a chemical necessary for phosphorus removal due to national supply chain issues.
Therefore, the first quarter water and wastewater bills for Ocean Pines Sanitary Service Area included a $15 Bay Restoration Fee, and that fee will be seen in quarterly bills for the remainder of 2023, according to Worcester County officials.
County officials say they will continue to monitor Ocean Pines Wastewater Treatment Plant operations and reapply for an exemption in 2024. Since the chemical supply interruption was restored last summer, officials say the wastewater treatment plant has been operating normally, with nitrogen and phosphorus levels below the Bay Restoration Fee threshold.
Staff are reportedly investigating the feasibility of expanding the onsite storage capacity of the necessary chemicals to reduce the possibility of another shortage affecting plant operations.
For more information, you can contact the Worcester County Public Works Water and Wastewater Division at (410) 641-5251.