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During the June 29 town council meeting, Shore Rivers representative Annie Richards expressed concerns about the proposed upgrades to Centerville’s wastewater treatment plant. While acknowledging that the town and its departments are adhering to Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) guidelines, Richards emphasized the need for more stringent measures to protect local waterways. Richards proposed an enhanced water treatment plan.
“The current Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) limits for the Corsica River are outdated and don’t reflect the latest climate data or the pressures within the watershed,” said Richards. The TMDL, established by the Clean Water Act of 1972, dictates the maximum amount of pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus that can be discharged into water bodies. However, recent studies, including the Caesar report by the Chesapeake Bay Program, question the validity of the models used to determine these limits.
Richards highlighted the significant investments made in local restoration efforts, such as the Corsica Watershed Project initiated in 2005. These projects have seen around $20 million in funding from state departments, local organizations, and community groups. Despite these efforts, the Corsica River remains one of the poorest performing tributaries in the Chester River watershed.
The proposed upgrades aim to increase the treatment plant’s capacity to 458,000 gallons per day and update its technology to reduce nutrient discharge. However, Richards argued that the technology currently proposed does not represent the best available technology compared to other states like California, Arizona, and even nearby Virginia.
“Other states have implemented advanced technologies like reverse osmosis and activated carbon filtration to achieve zero nutrient effluent and remove contaminants like PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics,” she said. “These technologies not only address nutrient pollution but also emerging contaminants that are becoming increasingly problematic.”
Richards urged the town to consider implementing a pilot program to utilize these advanced technologies. She emphasized that such a program would not alter the current permit process or delay the project but would instead enhance its effectiveness and potentially eliminate the need for spray field irrigation systems.
“Our proposal seeks to build on the progress made over the last 20 years and maximize environmentally oriented grants and funding sources to offset costs,” Richards added. She mentioned resources like the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center and the Bay Restoration Fund as potential funding avenues for the pilot program.
Richards requested a vote of confidence from the town council to explore the pilot program further and assured that Shore Rivers and other organizations are ready to support the town in securing funding and implementing advanced technologies for a more sustainable future.
Tabling the proposal, Mayor Ashley Kaiser spoke to the town’s financial burden.
“I mean, ultimately, the we’re all paying into the restoration. But I mean, there’s only so much money. I want to say just for anyone in the public, and certainly for anyone watching at home that might not be so super aware. We’re aware of these funding sources. We’ve gotten the bulk of the money that we have right now from the bay restoration fund legislatively, we are hoping not to have to dip into the state’s revolving loan fund,” Kaiser said.
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