Rehoboth has completed $12 million of wastewater upgrades
After years of work, Rehoboth Beach Public Works Director Kevin Williams said more than $12 million of infrastructure improvements at the city’s wastewater treatment facility have been completed.
Williams made the announcement during an end-of-summer report given at a city commissioner meeting in October. The work included $9 million for electrical work and the replacement of equipment in the headworks building; $1.3 million to replace the mixers and motors in oxidation ditches; $1.3 million for the structural rehabilitation to the headworks building; and $400,000 for pipe replacement.
During a tour of the wastewater treatment plant Nov. 21, Williams said the electrical work was needed because it was no longer safe for staff.
Bill Woods, plant superintendent, said he was glad to see these items get fixed. The duct tape holding things together was getting too large, he said, only half kidding.
Woods was hesitant to put a specific number on the expected lifespan of the improvements, but he said they should last for decades.
This completed work is not the final job to be done at the city’s treatment plant. Looking forward, the next significant project slated for the plant is construction of a dewatering facility. The city currently has a contract with a farm in Milford to spray the waste.
A dewatering facility will allow the city to get out of the land-application business, said Williams.
The city issued a notice to proceed on the project last week, and the contractor is currently ordering materials and getting submittals approved, said Williams. The city anticipates the contractor to be back on site after the first of the year to start physical construction at the plant.
When the project is complete, the county will be taking the solid waste produced by the city.
The funding for these upgrades comes from a few different sources – a partnership with Sussex County and funds from a revolving loan worth $12 million. The county and the city have an agreement that the county is allowed to use between 42% and 50% of the city wastewater capacity. In 2019, city officials approved a rate increase for wastewater and water improvements.
State Road pump station
In August of last year, city officials announced the pump station on State Road was in dire need of repair because the concrete for the building was original to the 80-year-old structure and had been damaged by exposure to sulfuric acid as part of operations.
A few months later, during the budgeting process for the current fiscal year, Williams said fixing the pump station topped the list of capital improvements.
More recently, Williams said the city is awaiting the pricing proposal from the electrical subcontractor before it can finalize the pricing for the total work. As of now, he said, the estimated cost of the project is $2.5 million to $3 million.
Williams said the primary contractor has been authorized to start ordering materials and the city expects physical work to start shortly after the new year. The project duration is approximately 10 months, he said.
Technically, the pump station property is on county land. As such, GHD, the city’s contractor, has submitted an application to the county for variances from front-yard and side-yard setback requirements for a proposed structure. The hearing is slated to go before the Sussex County Board of Adjustment at 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 19, in Sussex County Council Chambers, 2 The Circle, Georgetown.
