Additional well and treatment plant planned for town-owned land in Milton
MILTON, Del. – An additional well and treatment plant will be coming to Milton. This comes after the Town Council unanimously approved a building contract on October 7th.
New Plant and Tower in Order
The $2.2 million bid was awarded to Bearing Construction. Plans are set for construction to take place on town-owned land at 416 Federal Street. On top of the new plant, a new water tower is in order.
Crews will be tasked with building out electrical power and controls for the plant, laying piping for various parts of the operation, pump installation, and improving the driveway.
“This is to serve those who are currently on the system,” Mayor John Collier said. “This is a new facility in addition to two treatment plants the town already has in place and operating. Currently, we have nothing on the South side of the river. We don’t have any kind of infrastructure like that to support the water system.”
ARPA Funds Help Cover Bill
The Town received $1.6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the project. ARPA funding must be used under specific guidelines, like water and sewer infrastructure projects, housing initiatives, and increasing broadband connectivity.
Mayor Collier says that the project could have been completely covered by ARPA money if approval had come sooner.
“Now, because of time and inflation and everything else, we’re finding that we’re going to have to make up a little bit of the impact fee funding of the water department to make it,” Mayor Collier said.
“As the town grows, we’re getting smarter about it.”
And, with two new subdivisions expected to be complete in the next 20 to 25 years, the Mayor says 1,500 more households will soon be a part of the Town.
“The larger of the two subdivisions has already been put on notice, and they understand that they are to provide a water tower and a water treatment plant within their subdivision,” Mayor Collier said.
Mayor Collier says it’s for that reason the need for infrastructure expansion likely won’t stop here.
“As the town grows, we’re getting smarter about it.” Mayor Collier said. “We’re saying if you really want to be part of our town, you have to provide this support to the infrastructure.”
