Sussex County approves wastewater agreement with Rehoboth Beach
Sussex County officials say that they have taken a major step to help make sure of the continued smooth flow of service for public waste water customers in the years to come.
The County Council unanimously approved a renewed and expanded agreement with the city of Rehoboth Beach on Tuesday. In the agreement, the County will continue to pay the City to treat wastewater from portions of the County's sewer system, along with contribute to the construction of a new ocean outfall disposal system and various plant upgrades.
The County Council's approval which reportedly followed similar action from City commissioners on Monday, was needed for the project to go on, as the County is a partner in the Rehoboth Beach effort that has been almost two decades in the making. Construction of the outfall, part of the City's overall $52.5 million waste water project is set to start this fall and be finished by spring 2018.
Sussex County Engineer Hans M. Medlarz says, "This agreement with the City of Rehoboth Beach allows the County to diversify its wastewater options. This is the result of more than a year's worth of work on the part of the Engineering staff, Finance department, and the City administration. I'm pleased that we've all been able to reach the finish line together."
Officials say that under the agreement, the County will go on to pay the City for the cost of treating and disposing of wastewater from County customers, mostly in Dewey Beach, Henlopen Acres, and the other unincorporated areas outside Rehoboth Beach, along with contribute money towards the outfall's construction and upgrades to the City's wastewater plant.
The County has had a long-standing agreement with the City for treatment of wastewater in the areas outside the City's limits since 1983. The City in turn will reportedly pay the County to treat the solids portion of its waste, known as bio-solids, at a County Facility. Sussex County will contribute about $22 million toward the outfall project, with both the County and City exchanging yearly fees, based on utilization, for their services.
Officials say that the agreement is the next step in the Rehoboth Beach outfall project and the most recent in a series of joint ventures, some new and others long-standing between the County and other municipalities as local governments take a long term, team approach to planning for public waste water treatment and disposal for decades to come.
Currently the county has an agreement with the city of Seaford to treat waste water in the Blades area, while the County and the Lewes Board of Public Works have, in recent months, worked to develop an interconnection between their two systems that will allow for more flexibility in managing wastewater flows and disposal, mostly during the slow-drying winter months.
Officials say that the net result is a more robust and diversified public waste water system within the county, where waste water is collected, treated and disposed of through a network of County and municipal systems that use a combination of land application and point-system discharge to serve more than 70,000 County wastewater customers.
County Administrator Todd F. Lawson says that the end goal is to provide the best quality service to customers with an affordable and environmentally sound system. Outside of its partnerships with the various municipalities, Sussex County owns and operates four waste water treatment plants — the Inland Bays, Piney Neck, South Coastal and Wolfe Neck regional waste water facilities.
Lawson says, "For the public, wastewater is not something that is usually at the top of their minds. But it's critically important to every homeowner, business owner and guest who visits our community. We are extremely proud to be working with our partners in the cities of Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, and Seaford to take a more proactive, cooperative approach to wastewater planning. We believe through our combined efforts, our customers and our environment will benefit for years to come."
