Published: June 29, 2009 11:34 pm      

Area water, sewer treatment plants get state funding

Mtn. Lake Park, Westernport systems share nearly $1M

MOUNTAIN LAKE PARK — The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved millions of dollars in upgrades to water treatment plants, including nearly $1 million locally.

“After decades of setting far-away restoration goals, Maryland recently committed to ambitious two-year milestones that more than double our nutrient reduction goals by 2020,” Gov. Martin O’Malley said in a release from the Maryland Department of the Environment.

A $750,000 grant from the Bay Restoration Fund will replace deteriorated pipes and manholes within the Mountain Lake Park sewer system. The project is designed to lessen inflow and infiltration to the county-owned Trout Run Wastewater Treatment Plant, decreasing costs at the plant and reducing the likelihood of sanitary sewer overflows and sewage backups throughout the collection system which could pollute local waterways. This is the third phase of the rehabilitation project.

The Bay Restoration Fund has been a source of some controversy in Garrett County, as many residents continue to refuse to pay the fee each year as they do not live in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The fund, while designed to help control the pollutants that would enter the Chesapeake by making improvements to sewer systems and treatment plants, was promised to also benefit those not in the Chesapeake watershed in Garrett County.

The town of Westernport will receive an additional $176,005 grant as part of its water filtration plant upgrade This will be added with other grants that total $1,088,573 and will fund upgrades to the existing Westernport Water Treatment Plant processes and finished water hydraulics. Outdated facilities and equipment will be replaced with more current technology to provide high-quality drinking water to the 2,200 Westernport residents, ac-cording to the release from MDE.