ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 17, 2006) – Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. announced Board of Public Works approval today of $550,000 million to finance the upgrade of the town of the Evitts Creek Combine Sewer Overflow elimination in the City of Cumberland, Allegany County. Today’s actions are in the form of a grant of $550,000 from the State Supplemental Assistance Grant Program. The Board is comprised of Governor Ehrlich, Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp and Comptroller William D. Schaefer.

“Safe, updated sewage management is essential to the life and health of Marylanders ” said Governor Ehrlich. “The state takes pride in keeping up with the evolving infrastructure and needs of this community’s combined sewer system to protect human health, water quality and the well-being of aquatic ecosystems.”

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

The Evitts Creek Combined Sewer Overflow project will upgrade the existing wastewater pumping station to carry the flow generated in the Evitts Creek Sewer Basin to the Cumberland wastewater treatment plant. The project also involves the replacement/upgrade of approximately 6,000 feet of pipe (18 inch to 48 inch) to increase pipe capacity, which will help reduce the frequency and volume of combined sewer overflows to Evitts Creek. The project will serve approximately 30,000 residents of the City of Cumberland.

“The City of Cumberland is pleased to be able to use this grant as well as Bay Restoration Fund and loan money to continue to make improvements to Cumberland’s combined sewer overflow system,” said City of Cumberland Mayor Lee Fiedler. “The upgrades to the Evitts Creek pump station and replacement of the old piping downstream will increase the pumping station capacity and reduce the frequency of overflows. The City is grateful for this assistance from the State of Maryland to reduce pollution to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.”

The total project cost is approximately $4.1 million, of which $2.7 is the local share to be paid by the City of Cumberland. The state’s participation in the project, through MDE’s Water Quality Infrastructure Program, is roughly $1.3 million.

Construction is expected to begin in May with a completion date of November 2006.

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