Sussex council adds mobile home park to sewer district

Sussex County plans to seek funding to extend public sewer service to a mobile home park with nearly 200 residences adjacent to Love Creek near Rehoboth Bay.

Sussex County Council voted 3-0 Feb. 4, to annex the Love Creek Mobile Home Community and five adjacent parcels into the Sussex County Unified Sewer District after a discussion on the scope of the project, clearing the way for it to seek federal funding. 

The development, which includes 168 mobile homes and 10 campers, is adjacent to the tidal portion of Love Creek.

John Ashman, Sussex County director of utility planning and design review, outlined the environmental benefits of the project during the Jan. 14 council meeting.

“If connected, the environmental impact of removing the equivalent of 3 tons of nitrogen per year from the Inland Bays is significant, and we believe in the best interest of the health and welfare of the entire area,” Ashman said.

“Love Creek has had its shellfishing halted many times in recent years due to contamination,” he noted.

An income survey by the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center found the median household income for homes in Love Creek Mobile Home Community was $44,400, well below the 2024 countywide average of $78,996, Ashman said.

“This makes us believe the project will be eligible for significant principal forgiveness or grant monies,” he said.

With council members Jane Gruenebaum and John Rieley absent Feb. 4, the three council members who were present had to agree to the annexation to move the project forward to the state next week in time for consideration this year.

Councilman Steve McCarron had concerns about including in the annexation four adjacent parcels whose owners had not responded to requests that they participate. Considering the tight deadline for applying for state approval and the high cost of the property owners’ other alternatives, McCarron reluctantly went along with the plan.

“I 100% agree it makes all the sense in the world for them to come here and do it on their own,” he said. “If I was them, I would hook up to the county sewer. But forcing them to do it? They should be doing it on their own.”

County project engineer Hans Medlarz said the property owners near the mobile home park could not receive state permission to fix or replace their septic systems in the future because they are located within 200 feet of a sewer district. Medlarz estimated a new septic system could cost a property owner about $10,000; the county has a one-time $130 fee to connect to its sewer system, plus the cost of sewer service in the future. 

Each septic system, which was installed in the 1960s or 1970s when the mobile home was developed, is connected to a pair of residences, Medlarz said. The sewer project was designed to install grinder pumps in each septic tank, eliminating the cost of a more complex system. 

“That’s genius, very cool,” said Councilman Matt Lloyd.

The county also found ways to expedite the timeline, saving five years on the process, Medlarz said. Funding could be available in the fall, and work could be completed in 2027.

County Communications Director Chip Guy said in an email Jan. 24 that the price tag of the project has not yet been determined. Medlarz said federal Environmental Protection Agency funding would be involved.

Artesian Resources, a contractor for the sewer system, has a sewage collection system across the street from the mobile home park, allowing a simple and inexpensive connection, Medlarz said.

Raul Rosario, a nine-year resident of Love Creek Mobile Home Community, said he supported the project for its environmental benefits.

Aron and Pam Osterlund asked if their adjacent property could be included in the annexation and the council agreed. A small adjacent mobile home park will also be added.

Under the Pollution Control Strategy for the Inland Bays, the state has been working since 2008 to encourage the connection of homes within 1,000 feet of the water’s edge to public sewers, Ashman said. The county had been trying to get Love Creek Mobile Home Community onto public sewers, he said.

“We’ve sent correspondence to the property owner before, with no response, so it was kind of nice to see them come to us,” Ashman said.

Richard Kellam, manager of Love Creek MHC, submitted a Dec. 29 letter requesting a connection to the county sewer system. Kellam could not be reached for comment.