Tidewater applies for construction permit for new Milton plant
Tidewater Environmental Services has applied for a construction permit for its new $11 million wastewater treatment plant on Sam Lucas Road in Milton. The plant is expected to be online by June 2021.
Planned on a 5-acre parcel on the east side of Sam Lucas Road about a half-mile south of the intersection with Cave Neck Road, Tidewater Director of Engineering Brian Carbaugh said construction will begin in early 2020.
The new plant will have a capacity of 350,000 gallons per day with a much more advanced level of treatment to remove nitrogen from the effluent. Treated effluent would continue to empty into the Broadkill River, but Carbaugh said the effluent will be better treated than before.
The existing plant, on the riverfront at Front and Collins streets, was built in the 1960s. It was upgraded in the 1980s for biological treatment of raw waste, but was not effective for removing nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus. In 2007, the town sold the plant to Tidewater. The plant, which occupies two acres on a much larger parcel owned by the town, serves 1,600 customers and treats 180,000 gallons per day, but Tidewater officials say in light of future growth in the area, the plant would not be able to meet state total maximum daily load standards.
Town officials have sought to move the plant away from the Broadkill River, but land was not available until Loblolly LLC, the property management arm of WBOC owner Draper Holdings, purchased 80 acres of land on Sam Lucas Road. Loblolly gave 10 acres of that land to the town; the town then gave five acres to Tidewater.
Carbaugh said the new plant will require upgrades to the company’s piping system and pump station network. He said while pipe construction will cause some temporary delays, Tidewater does not anticipate road closures.
The new plant will be set at the rear of the property, and will be fenced and gated. Once the new plant is online, Tidewater will demolish the Front Street plant and return that property to the town.
Ryan Mavity covers Milton and the court system. He is married to Rachel Swick Mavity and has two kids, Alex and Jane. Ryan started with the Cape Gazette all the way back in February 2007, previously covering the City of Rehoboth Beach. A native of Easton, Md. and graduate of Towson University, Ryan enjoys watching the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals and Baltimore Orioles in his spare time.
