Kent County’s Wastewater Treatment Facility is set for major upgrades after being awarded a $5 million, low-interest federal loan.
Awarded by the US Department of Agriculture, the grant will help pay for the $28.4 million project that aims to accommodate new people moving to the area, as well as trim energy costs.
The expansion will increase the facility’s treatment capacity by more than 3.5 million gallons a day, leaving the county well positioned for the future, according to Kent County Public Works Director Hans Medlarz.
“It accomplishes a capacity expansion of the Kent County Wastewater Treatment Facility from 16.5 million gallons per day to over 20 million gallons per day," said Medlarz. "Essentially, that sets us on the growth path for the next, I would easily say, the next 10-15 years.”
The capacity expansion will also help reduce the facility’s phosphorus discharge into the tidal area of the Murderkill River. High phosphorus levels in water encourages algae blooms, which deplete oxygen levels and can harm aquatic life.
Medlarz adds that a second part of the project will help cut down on their electric bill.
“[It] will replace our centrifugal blowers with zero-friction bearing type turbo blowers, reducing our overall energy consumption by 10-15 percent,” said Medlarz.
Most of the funding comes from USDA Rural Development loans, with $6.9 million dollars coming from the state and $500,000 from the county.
The two-year project is expected to begin within the next six weeks with construction expected before the end of 2014.
Delaware Senators Tom Carper (D-Delaware) and Chris Coons (D-Delaware) joined USDA Rural Development State Director Bill McGowan in announcing the loan.
In a statement, Coons said "Investing in our rural infrastructure to ensure quality of life for all Delawareans, as well as our natural habitats of the Delaware Bay and its tributaries, is of the utmost importance.”