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Nov 04, 2021
The Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners held a special meeting today to discuss a proposal from Sussex County to procure a portion of the city’s excess ocean outfall capacity for treated wastewater. The county has proposed to purchase 2/5 of the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control-permitted waste load allocation to pump up to 2 million gallons/day of outfall capacity.
The county has proposed a one-time payment of $7.6 million, which could be used to minimize future City of Rehoboth Beach wastewater rate increases. To pay for improvements underway at the city’s wastewater treatment facility, rates increased sharply in 2020 and are scheduled to increase another 60% beginning in 2024.
“The city’s priorities are to protect our greatest natural resources – our beautiful beach and the Atlantic Ocean – and to provide services to our residents in a fiscally responsible manner,” Mayor Stan Mills said when the November 4 special meeting was announced. “It appears that the county’s proposal will not impact the quality of water being released into the ocean and that this partnership would bring a good deal of financial benefit to our wastewater customers.”
Under the city’s current DNREC permit, which is scheduled to be renewed in the spring, the waste load for biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and total suspended solids (TSS) is 425 pounds/day each (at an average permitted concentration of 15 milligrams per liter) with a maximum of 625 pounds (and a 23 mg/L concentration) on any given day. The city’s daily average is under 50 pounds. The county has proposed to purchase 40%, or 170 pounds, of the city’s permitted waste load allocation. With the county’s participation, the average outfall waste load is expected to remain below 250 pounds/day.
The county’s proposal calls for a direct connection between the outfall and county treatment facility; treated effluent pumped by the county to the outfall would not be treated by the City of Rehoboth facility. The quality of effluent released by each facility would be tested at the prospective city and county treatment facilities separately. The interconnection is proposed to be bi-directional, which provides a safety net that doesn’t currently exist for the city facility.
The City of Rehoboth Beach and Sussex County currently have a renewable 25-year agreement, approved in 2017, for the county to utilize 42% of the city’s wastewater treatment facility and to cover an equal portion of capital improvement costs at the facility.
The county has expressed interest in coming to an agreement about shared outfall capacity within the next few months, but the agreement would not be implemented until 4-5 years in the future, while the county seeks the necessary permits and constructs a pipeline.
The Board of Commissioners will continue to discuss this proposal and seek input from residents. The proposal is on the Commissioners’ November 8 workshop agenda.
