The Rehoboth Beach commissioners are hoping to select a method of wastewater disposal by the end of the year.
But before moving forward, it’s important to look back at how the city got to this point.
In 1996, portions of Indian River and Rehoboth bays were listed as water-quality impaired by the state. Officials were required to develop a total maximum daily load, or TMDL, for pollutants.
The TMDL for Rehoboth was issued in 1998 and required the elimination of all point-source discharges, including Rehoboth Beach wastewater, into Indian River, Indian River Bay, Rehoboth Bay and their tributaries.
After several years of legal wrangling, the terms of a consent order were finalized in 2005, establishing a firm date of Dec. 31, 2014, for all discharge to be eliminated from the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal and a new disposal method to be fully operational. The city also treats wastewater from Dewey Beach, North Shores and Henlopen Acres.
In 2005, the engineering firm Stearns and Wheler also released a report identifying four possible disposal alternatives: land application, rapid infiltration beds, groundwater injection and ocean outfall.
Rapid infiltration beds and groundwater injection were quickly eliminated from consideration. Land application was also originally eliminated because land was not available and the cost was too high.
Ocean outfall was deemed the most cost-effective and technically feasible option and was recommended by Stearns and Wheler.
With Sussex County looking to expand its wastewater disposal capacity, a joint outfall project between Rehoboth and the county was explored.
Estimates from Stearns and Wheler have generally put the cost of an ocean outfall project at around $34 million.
Land application came back into the picture after private companies Tidewater Utilities Inc. and Artesian Water Co. expressed an interest in taking the city’s wastewater.
In August 2008, the city issued a request for proposals for land application. Tidewater did not submit a proposal, while Artesian proposed an approach that would also involve the county. Rehoboth rejected this approach.
While private options have apparently fallen by the wayside, the county reentered the picture with a proposal to use land application on land near the county’s Indian River treatment plant. In October 2008, county council voted not to partner with the city on ocean outfall and instead to pursue land application.
County engineers have issued two reports on a joint Rehoboth/Sussex land application project, the latest on Oct. 28. According to the latest report, the total cost would range from $91 million to $112 million.
The city’s share would range from $37 million to $68 million depending on whether the wastewater the city sends to the county is raw or treated and whether the disposal is at the Indian River facility or at a private service provider.
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