Artesian proposes new force main in Milton

Artesian Wastewater Management has submitted an application to the Town of Milton to build a new force main line. The application represents one of the first steps toward Artesian beginning treatment of the town’s wastewater at its Sussex Regional Recharge Facility on Route 30.

Artesian has filed a building permit application proposing to install new lines running from the town’s Chandler Street pump station up Union Street onto Broad Street over to Lavinia Street and then behind Shipbuilder’s Village. The line would then go on to Route 16 to connect to existing lines on Route 30. 

Milton Town Council will discuss the proposal at its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 6, at Milton library. 

Milton’s wastewater treatment system has been in private business hands since 2007, when council agreed to sell the system to Tidewater Utilities, which ran the existing plant on Front Street. For years, town officials have sought to build a new plant to increase capacity. The original plan was to build a new plant on a five-acre parcel on Sam Lucas Road, with the town’s treated wastewater to still be dumped in the Broadkill River. 

That plan changed in September 2021, when Artesian purchased Tidewater’s local wastewater operations, which served 3,600 retail wastewater customers in Sussex County. 

Milton’s wastewater would be sent to Artesian’s 1,700-acre network of spray irrigation fields off Route 30. Part of the project is a new wastewater treatment plant, which is to be built behind the 90-million-gallon storage lagoon already on site. Once that facility is online, Artesian will dismantle the town’s wastewater plant and rededicate the land to the town. 

Artesian Chief Financial Officer Dave Spacht said once the company gets its construction permit approved, the new plant will take about 12 to 18 months to build. Spacht said some of Milton’s wastewater is already being sent to existing Artesian facilities, which has helped the existing plant stay in compliance with state regulations. 

Besides the new plant, Artesian senior engineer Dan Kostanski said upgrading Milton’s wastewater system will also include renovations to the Chandler Street pump station. During construction of the force main, Kostanski said he did not anticipate road closures, but there likely will be half-lane closures for brief periods. 

Artesian has long envisioned its Route 30 facility as a hub to not only serve Milton, but the surrounding development. To that end, Spacht said the company is putting in new piping that is intended to serve the new Beebe Healthcare facility and surrounding housing development on Route 16 just outside town borders. 

Artesian proposes other force mains in other areas

In addition to the Milton force main, Artestian has submitted a permit application to install and connect sewage force mains to the Sussex County sewer system at five locations in the Cape Region.

According to a Feb. 1 public notice issued by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Water, those locations include The Ridings, at the intersection of Steeple Chase Lane and Beaver Dam Road; The Retreat, near the intersection of Almwick Lane and Cedar Grove Road; Bayfront, near the intersection of Cypress and Camp Arrowhead roads; Harts Landing, at the intersection of Tanglewood Drive and Route 24; and Plantations, at the intersection of Ritter Lake Drive and Plantation Road.

Comments or a request for a hearing on an application must be received in writing by Wednesday, Feb. 15. For more information, call 302-739-9941.