A Cape Gazette editorial on May 8, concerning Rehoboth's plan for construction of an ocean outfall, stated that "when the numbers finally came in, the cost of spray irrigation to city ratepayers was about double the cost of ocean outfall" and that if the state does not issue a permit for the outfall it should then "pay for a plan that will keep both our ocean and our state waters clean."
Fortunately, for the state and the people of Rehoboth, there is an alternative to ocean outfall that will cost tens of millions of dollars less and will, in fact, preserve the local water cycle rather than sending the treated wastewater out into the ocean.
The Cape Gazette editorial on May 9 mentioned Artesian as a vendor capable of providing alternatives to the current plan.
Artesian's proposal, presented in the early stages of the town's planning process, is capable of cost-effectively repurposing treated wastewater using spray irrigation systems located outside the Inland Bays watershed while also ensuring the greatest certainty of preventing excess nutrients from entering the Inland Bays.
Given that the cost of an environmentally beneficial alternative is significantly less than the escalating cost of ocean outfall, we should not overlook the opportunity to do the right thing. What Rehoboth officials decide now will have far-reaching consequences to the future generations of tourists to our state.
Dian C. Taylor
president and CEO, Artesian
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