Maryland Antes Up $104M for Wastewater Plant

The Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant in Southwest D.C. will receive an infusion of $104 million through Maryland's Bay Restoration Fund under a grant recently approved by the state's Board of Public Works.

The grant will go toward the $950 million nitrogen-removal program that D.C. Water broke ground on in May.

The Blue Plains facility has the capacity to treat 370 million gallons of wastewater a day and . Each jurisdiction contributes to the plant's operation.

"Upgrades at the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant, the single largest point source of nitrogen to the Chesapeake Bay, are an essential part of our plan to clean up the Potomac River and the Bay,” Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said in a news release.

The Board of Public Works comprises the governor, the treasurer and the comptroller.

The Bay Restoration Fund—better known as the ‘‘flush tax”—imposes fees on water, sewer and septic users that go toward upgrading wastewater treatment plants.

The grant to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission will help fund the planning, design, and construction of nitrogen removal technology at the plant.

"The Enhanced Nutrient Removal Facilities are the result of years of technology research performed at Blue Plains," D.C. Water Board Chairman William M. Walker said in a news release announcing the project's groundbreaking. "Blue Plains was the first to reach the 2010 Chesapeake Bay Programgoals for nitrogen reduction, and we're well on track to be the first for the next round."

The upgrades will give the facility the capacity to reduce its nitrogen discharge by 83 percent, significantly reducing the amount of nutrients discharged into the Potomac River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment. The project is slated for completion in 2014.

The Board of Public Works approved more than $129 million in grants to reduce pollution and improve water quality by upgrading wastewater treatment plants and improving drinking water and sewage collection infrastructure.

Related Topics: Blue Plains, Chesapeake Bay, WSSC, and Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission