Wicomico County bill would move forward wastewater survery

SALISBURY, Md. – Wicomico County could see a pair of engineering studies to the tune of $250,000. The studies would help determine what land could be used to create either discrete wastewater facilities, or expand the existing facilities to areas that only have septic tanks.

Wicomico County Director of Administration Bunky Luffman tells 47 ABC WMDT that many areas in the county are still relying on septic systems. He added those systems are not connected to a greater network, unlike the majority of the state of Maryland.

“It allows us to drill down into a couple of different areas that the county, where we think this might be needed, and then that will then allow us to go to [the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)] and say these are the areas we’ve identified and we’ve done this initial engineering report,” Luffman said. “We believe that would allow us to be successful in getting MDE’s approval and funding.”

Luffman says both options are on the table, and it all has to do with the current system’s capacity.

“When they reach a certain amount, MDE says you literally cannot bring anyone else on to your system. So every municipality, all seven plants, have that and there are varying different places of where they’re at toward the cap,” Luffman said.

County Executive Julie Giordano says after years of inaction, this step represents a key move forward for improving the quality of life for residents. She says it’s not just about building more housing, and that county leaders will let the reports speak to the best path forward.

“We should sort of build off of the municipalities,” said Giordano. “If we need to end up building our own water wastewater plant, you know, that’s a direction we’ll go.”

The step, while crucial, still puts the county five to seven years out from any facility coming online.