Consent order lifted over Salisbury’s wastewater treatment plant

SALISBURY, Md. – There was some good news coming out of Salisbury Thursday. As of Thursday, the consent order put in place over the city by the Maryland Department of the environment back in 2012, has finally been lifted. Mayor Jake Day says Salisbury was forced to comply with the department’s orders after they found high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in the Wicomico River. Day says this all stemmed from issues with the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
But after a nearly $100 million project to revamp and re-engineer the plant, Day says the water levels are in top shape. He says with the new wastewater treatment plant, levels of nitrogen and phosphorous were cut by nearly 90%.

“We are in a much better position than we have ever been because we have this new technology online. We recognize its impact on the bay and on the Wicomico River and now it is a very, very, very minor contributor of nutrients,” said Day.

Day adds that moving forward, he hopes to educate the public about the million dollar treatment plant in hopes of ensuring the water remains at a high quality level for years to come.