ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 24, 2004) – Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. announces Board of Public Works approval today of a $600,000 grant to the Town of Elkton (Cecil County) to upgrade the municipality’s wastewater treatment plant to a biological nutrient removal (BNR) system.

“Nutrient removal at wastewater treatment plants is essential for the success of Maryland’s effort to achieve a 40 percent reduction in the amount of nutrients discharged to the Chesapeake Bay,” Governor Ehrlich said.

Excess nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, lead to degraded water quality, which negatively impact the ecology of the Bay and its tributaries.

The project upgrade to Elkton’s 2.7 million gallon-per-day wastewater treatment plant, which discharges to Big Elk Creek, includes the construction of facilities to allow the plant to achieve BNR status.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $10 million, of which $7 million is the local share, financed through a state revolving fund loan. The grant dollars will come from the Maryland Department of the Environment’s (MDE) Water Quality Infrastructure Program.

“MDE’s assistance in providing grant-eligible funding to support our plant’s improvements is crucial to our project’s viability,” said Elkton Mayor Joseph L. Fisona. “We are strongly committed to our BNR project and look forward to the continuing success of our relationship to achieve our goal of protecting one of Maryland’s most precious resources.”

The two-year construction project is expected to begin in September.

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