Officials Celebrate New West OC Treatment Plant

Officials Celebrate New West OC Treatment Plant
Officials

WEST OCEAN CITY — After years of planning and preparation, followed by more years of actual construction, Worcester County on Tuesday officially dedicated the new wastewater treatment plant at Mystic Harbour in West Ocean City.

The concept of replacing the aging and poorly functioning wastewater treatment plant at Mystic Harbour was hatched back in 2007. Through the complex planning period from design to real construction, coupled with a significant federal grant and loan contributions, the state-of-the-art plant is up and running and was officially dedicated on Tuesday with county, state and federal officials on hand.

“This is a proud moment in my life,” said County Commission President Bud Church, whose district includes West Ocean City. “The folks here from Mystic Harbor are pleased. Through the dirt and dust, the project is now 98 percent complete.”

The new facility will treat wastewater to Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) standards. It has a capacity of 450,000 gallons per day and will serve a total of 1,666 equivalent dwelling units (EDUs), which have long been the currency and the lynchpin for development in the county. The new sewage treatment plant is intended to protect the coastal bay environment by reducing nutrient discharges in the watershed and eliminating malfunctioning septic systems. Church said the new treatment plant by far exceeds state and federal standards for wastewater treatment.

“There are minimum standards and then there are Worcester County standards,” he said. “We wanted more than just a replacement plant that met the minimum standards. We wanted the best wastewater treatment plant we could build, and we wanted to be good neighbors and create an environmental asset.”

Church said for years, the Ocean Pines wastewater treatment plant set the standard for wastewater treatment plants in Maryland. In fact, the level of nutrient removal at the Ocean Pines plant is such that it is the only facility of its kind in the state that is exempt from paying Bay Restoration fees. Church said the new Mystic Harbour plant will be light years ahead of the Ocean Pines plant.

“This Mystic Harbour plant outperforms Ocean Pines,” he said. “It’s quite remarkable and it’s a great accomplishment. This is state of the art.”

The total project cost was $12.8 million, of which $4.7 million came from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant. The other $8.1 million came from a USDA Rural Development loan. Maryland State Director for USDA Rural Development Dr. Bill McGowan was on hand to make some remarks at the dedication on Tuesday.

McGowan said the wait was long for the new Mystic Harbour plant but it was worth it in the end. He praised the county and the designer and developer for biding their time to make sure they got the top of the line wastewater treatment plant. McGowan used the analogy of waiting to get a knee replacement operation.

“They tell you to wait and live with the pain until you can’t bear it anymore, because the technology is always changing and you can get a better knee,” he said. “This was worth the wait. This is a pretty big deal. You have a state-of-the-art plant here.”

While the plant will meet the immediate needs in the Mystic Harbour service area, it has a tremendous upside. It is sized to allow for reasonable growth in the area and to serve infill lots in Mystic Harbour and the entire West Ocean City region.