BRUNSWICK, MD (October 26, 2006) – The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) continues to work toward a cleaner Chesapeake Bay today by breaking ground to initiate construction to upgrade the Brunswick Waste Water Treat Plant in Frederick County. Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.’s historic 2004 Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act made funding for the technological upgrades available. Ten plants across the state are currently in the process of being upgraded and two plants have been completed and put in operation since the adoption of the landmark Restoration Act.
“Maryland continues lead other state’s in restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay,” said Governor Ehrlich. “By upgrading plants across the State, we are eliminating millions of pounds of pollution annually. Projects like this one demonstrate my commitment to preserving our environment and making Maryland a cleaner, safer place to live.”
The Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act of 2004 is the most innovative environmental legislation enacted in the past two decades. The act established the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, which provides the means to upgrade wastewater treatment plants to state-of-the-art levels, to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from plant effluent. Excess nutrients lead to degraded water quality, which negatively impacts the ecology of the Bay and its tributaries. When Maryland’s 66 major plants are upgraded through the fund, there will be a 7.5 million pound reduction in nitrogen and a 260,000-pound reduction in phosphorus flowing into the Bay’s tributaries annually.
“By the end of Fiscal Year 2007, construction will be underway at nearly half the major plants in the state and, one after the other, they will drastically begin to lower nutrient levels,” said Secretary of the Environment Kendl P. Philbrick. “Additional nutrient removal at the Brunswick Waste Water Treatment Plant is essential for Maryland to meet its commitments under the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement.”
The nearly $15 million Brunswick Wastewater Treat Plant in Frederick County will include enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) in addition to biological nutrient removal technology that will dramatically reduce the level of nitrogen and phosphorus being discharged directly into the Potomac River, which is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.
“The City of Brunswick is proud to be one of the first municipalities to undertake a wastewater treatment plant upgrade project to meet the Chesapeake Bay Restoration goals. We are happy to partner with Governor Ehrlich to upgrade our wastewater treatment plant to include Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) and Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) processes,” said Mayor Carroll A. Jones. “The City of Brunswick is appreciative of the cooperation and assistance of the Maryland Department of the Environment. The Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade is an important project for Brunswick, Frederick County, and Maryland, since it will protect and enhance the water quality of the Potomac River, which is a major tributary of Chesapeake Bay.”
The upgrade project involves the planning, design and construction for an upgrade to the Brunswick Wastewater Treatment Plant for Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) at the approved design capacity of 1.4 million gallons per day (mgd).
The upgrade will enable the community to meet the goals established for nutrient loads discharged to the Chesapeake Bay. The wastewater treatment facility will achieve the effluent concentration goal of 3 milligrams per liter (mg/l) for Total Nitrogen and less than 0.3 mg/l for Total Phosphorous. The project will result in a 83.6 percent reduction in nitrogen and a 87 percent decrease in phosphorus to the receiving Potomac River and the ultimately Chesapeake Bay.
In addition to the more than $8.6 million Bay Restoration Fund grant, the plant will be funded through an nearly $2.4 million Biological Nutrient Removal state grant and a $1.2 million State Supplement Grant, all of which are administered by MDE.
Work on the Brunswick Wastewater Treat project is currently underway and the upgraded facility is expected to be fully operational by December of 2007.
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