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Politics & Government

City's Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade Almost Done

City residents are likely to see higher water and sewer bills later this year.

A $10.5 million, 18-month project to improve the quality of water released from the city’s wastewater treatment plant is nearly complete.

The upgrade—known as Enhanced Nutrient Removal—reduces levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the treated water discharged into the Patuxent River which eventually empties into the Chesapeake Bay, bringing Bowie into compliance with more stringent state standards for nutrient discharges.

“Nitrogen is the most serious pollutant in the bay,” said Maryland Department of the Environment spokesman Jay Apperson.

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Nitrogen and phosphorus lead to the growth of algae blooms which block sunlight and remove oxygen from the water, harming fish and inhibiting the growth of underwater grasses. Human activities—driving, using household cleaners, applying fertilizer—create more nitrogen and phosphorus than the bay can handle.

“Agricultural run-off, wastewater treatment plants and air emissions are all parts of the puzzle,” Apperson said.

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The Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund is paying for 83 percent—or $8.7 million— of the cost of the upgrades to the Bowie plant.  Signed into law by Gov. Robert Ehrlich in 2004, the fund is supported by a $2.50 monthly user fee—the so-called “flush fee”—on water and sewer bills.

Bowie is paying for the remaining $1.8 million with a revolving state loan.

The Maryland Department of the Environment is using funds from the flush fee to upgrade 66 publicly owned wastewater treatment plants—including Bowie’s—which process more than 500,000 gallons of sewage per day and discharge into the Chesapeake Bay.

Bowie’s plant processes about 2.1 million gallons a day, according to plant superintendent Chris Bolander.

The construction at the state-of-the-art facility which began on the Bowie plant in July 2009 is largely finished but the city is working out reimbursement costs with the state, according to city manager David Deutsch. The plant is located at the city’s public works compound on Annapolis Road.

The city water and sewer system serves approximately 7700 residential customers—or about half of Bowie’s residents—concentrated in and around the Levitt sections of North Bowie. Other Bowie residents are served by Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

Deutsch said an increase in water and sewer rates to cover the rising costs of maintaining the system is likely, but he said the amount of the increase would not be available for another six weeks.

The average quarterly bill is about $148 for residents, according to city budget documents. Residents paid $6.90 per 1000 gallons in July 2009. Last July, the rate increased 6 percent to $7.31—an annual increase of about $34 for the average customer.

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