Bureau of Utility Operations Team Manager Mike Smith, Sr., left, and the staff of the Annapolis Water Reclamation Facility at the facilities welcome sign in Annapolis.
Dane Walls, a Bureau of Utility Operations technician inspects a secondary clarifier weir at the Maryland City Water Reclamation Facillity in Maryland City.
Grant awards - for exceeding permit requirements and for reducing pollutants released to the Chesapeake - total nearly $20 million
Annapolis, MD - Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and the Department of Public Works announced a pair of significant grant awards from the State for exceeding permit requirements at County Water Reclamation Facilities and for reducing the amount of pollutants released to the Chesapeake Bay under the Bay Restoration Fund Act. The two awards total nearly $20 million.
“Our Department of Public Works staff should be commended for saving our taxpayers money while protecting our environment and improving the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries,” Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said. “These grants shine a light on the outstanding work being performed every day by our engineers and wastewater treatment operators.”
The State of Maryland awarded the County $17,680,025 in grant funding for exceeding the permit requirements for the discharge of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment at County Water Reclamation Facilities. The competitive grant, through the Clean Water Commerce Act, greatly reduces the operational cost of the County’s wastewater treatment plants.
The grant will offset the operational costs at the Annapolis and Broadneck Water Reclamation Facilities through 2024 and the Cox Creek and Patuxent Water Reclamation Facilities through 2027.
Anne Arundel County operates the Annapolis WRF and shares operating costs based on capital expenses and total flow from each jurisdiction. The City of Annapolis will see a benefit of $637,415 per year through 2024.
Aerial view of the Cox Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Pasadena. The Cox Creek plant is the largest of the seven County WRFs.
“We are proud of DPW’s work in ensuring we meet the expectations of residents and the needs of the environment,” said Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley. “The City of Annapolis appreciates the collaboration with the County and we intend to use our portion of this grant funding to maintain quality and rates for our residents.”
The Maryland Board of Public Works approved another $1,884,518 in grant funding to Anne Arundel County for successfully achieving the pollutant reducing goals of the Bay Restoration Fund Act at the Annapolis, Patuxent, Broadneck, Broadwater, Cox Creek and Maryland City Water Reclamation Facilities (WRF). The operating and maintenance grants for Fiscal Year 2022 are awarded to jurisdictions that have completed capital projects to implement enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) technology and have reduced the amount of Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus discharged to waterways following the wastewater treatment process.
The Maryland Department of Environment allocates up to 10% of the annual Bay Restoration Fund revenue to wastewater treatment plants meeting the ENR threshold for pollutant load removal.
The Maryland Bay Restoration Fund was signed into law on May 26, 2004 to create a dedicated fund, financed by wastewater treatment plant users, to upgrade treatment plants in the state with ENR technology. ENR upgrades provide WRFs the capability to reduce the total nitrogen discharge concentration to our waterways by 50% and the total phosphorus levels by 80%.
