Sussex could be involved in Lewes plant’s future
Sussex County may or may not play a key role in the future of the Lewes wastewater treatment plant. It all depends on action taken by Lewes Board of Public Works.
During the Dec. 6 Sussex County Council meeting, county engineer Hans Medlarz discussed the findings and options outlined in the Lewes wastewater treatment facility long-range planning study.
The study, conducted by consultant GHD Inc., was done to develop and evaluate upgrade options to provide increased wastewater service resilience out to 2050, including options for further BPW/Sussex County collaboration.
“This is a Lewes BPW decision and not a county decision,” Medlarz stressed to council.
Sussex County has an approved agreement with BPW to transfer wastewater flow up to 100,000 gallons per day to the Lewes treatment plant and up to 400,000 per day from October through March. The county funded a connection line along Gills Neck Road.
Medlarz said the county co-funded the study using American Rescue Plan Act funding. “The Lewes plant is in a flood plain and subject to sea-level rise, so some action has be taken,” he said.
Among the options are relocation to higher ground, an ocean outfall discharge point, major upgrades to the current facility and options involving the use of the county's Wolfe Neck treatment facility. One of those options would allow for Lewes to pump raw sewage to a new Wolfe Neck facility.
Medlarz said a joint project would increase the county's plant capacity to 3.5 million gallons per day. The Lewes plant is permitted to release up to 1.5 million gallons of treated wastewater per day into the canal. Medlarz said the average release has been below 1 million gallons at 890,000 per day. By 2050, he said, Lewes capacity would be at 1.75 million gallons per day.
Regardless of the option, any possible construction would be years away. Medlarz said more analysis would need to be completed, including canal modeling, soil evaluations and permitting, to name a few.
And none of the options are cheap. For Lewes BPW only (no county costs included), capital costs are estimated from $186 million down to $23 million in costs, and operation and maintenance over 20 years are estimated from $227 million to $56 million. If an option is selected involving the county, the costs would be shared by BPW and the county.
“We are in a holding pattern until BPW picks an option,” said Council President Mike Vincent.
BPW plans Jan. 23 workshop
“No decision has been made. It will be made based on public comment,” BPW President Tom Panetta told council.
Panetta said it's important to change the plant's operations to discharge on the outgoing tide. “This is a big deal for the health of the canal. Now, we are discharging 24/7 because there is no space for lagoons on site for storage,” he said.
Lewes BPW will have a public workshop on the planning study at 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 23, at the Margaret H. Rollins Community Center, 110 Adams Ave., Lewes.
