The Town’s Wastewater Treatment Plant is undergoing a major construction upgrade. Once complete, the Plant will be able to treat wastewater more effectively and further reduce nitrogen levels.

Wastewater discharge permits often include effluent limitations for nutrients. Total maximum daily loads for nutrients are used to protect waterbodies throughout the United States. These permit limits have resulted in WWTP’s having to comply with more stringent effluent limitations for parameters such as total nitrogen.

Our current Plant does nitrification, which is a biological process where ammonia is oxidized to nitrite and then to nitrate. The upgrade will provide denitrification filters, which is the process by which nitrates are reduced to gaseous nitrogen through anaerobes (low oxygen). A readily biodegradable carbon source, methanol will be used to facilitate this process.

The benefits of denitrification are significant in protecting the quality of the receiving water, permit compliance, strengthening of the biological processes, and cost-savings for the overall treatment. The reduction of nitrite and nitrate ions discharged into receiving water is greatly reduced, which helps to prevent the overabundant growth of aquatic plants and its resulting eutrophication.

The project that is anticipated to be completed by the summer of 2024 was made possible through an $8.5M Maryland Department of the Environment Grant. These funds are collected from Maryland’s resident’s water bills through the Bay Restoration Fund.