Down The Pipe - Volume 5

SOMETHING NEW
Harford County is changing the way it treats its wastewater. A new treatment process was put online last October at the Sod Run Wastewater Treatment Plant.	This new process is called "Biological Nutrient Removal" or BNR. We have devoted this letter exclusively to informing you of this new BNR process and how it protects the Chesapeake Bay.

THE PLANT

The Sod Run Wastewater Treatment Plant is located on Sod Run where it enters Bush River south of Perryman. The original plant was constructed in the late 1960s and expanded over time from a 4 million gallon a day (4 MGD) plant to a 12 MGD plant. Currently under construction is an upgrade program to increase the capacity of the plant from 12 MGD to 20 MGD. Part of this upgrade effort is the addition of a BNR or "Biological Nutrient Removal" process which became operational in October

1997. This process reduces the discharge of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Chesapeake Bay. The process works by using microorganisms rather than chemicals to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. A biological process was selected because it would be safe for the environment. For those who like more information on this highly scientific method, please call the Sod Run Plant Manager at 410-273-5617.

HELPING THE BAY
The Chesapeake Bay Agreement, signed by the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Mayor of Washington D.C. in 1987, calls for reducing the amount of nutrients entering the BAY by 40% from previous levels. Reducing nutrients helps control algae populations, which in excess can	upset the Bay's ecosystem. Nutrients come from all sources including fertilizers, industry, residential areas, and you. Your wastewater produces about 13 pounds of nutrients per person per year. Over 500 tons of nutrients are generated from all the households on the Sewer system.

YOUR SHARE

The cost to construct this new BNR process is $16.4 million dollars. Harford County was able to recover 50% of this cost from a grant program through the Maryland Department of the Environment's Water Management Administration. The remaining $8.2 million dollars will be shared by the users of the Harford County Sewer System. Starting with January 1998 bills, each sewerage customer will be charged a BNR fee of $.21 per 1,000 gallons of sewer discharge. An average residential

customer will see a $3.36 increase in their quarterly sewer bill. Each year the fee will be recalculated due to increased customers to share in the cost. This will result in a lowering of the fee over time until the total cost of construction is repaid. The fee will eventually be removed from your Water and Sewer bill around the year 2020 when debt for this project is scheduled to be paid off. If you have additional billing questions, please call 410-638-3311

BNR - Biological Nutrient Removal
NUTRIENTS - Phosphorus and Nitrogen - "Algae Fertilizers"
ALGAE - Plant materials that in excess, upset the Bay's Ecosystem
NITROGEN - Element contributing to plant growth. Can be overabundant.
PHOSPHORUS - Element contributing to plant growth. Can be overabundant.

BILLING QUESTIONS	410-638-3311
ADMINISTRATION/NEW SERVICE	410-638-3300
METER & WATER PRESSURE PROBLEMS; SEWER BACK-UPS	410-612-1612
WATER QUALITY	410-638-3939
TREATMENT-WASTEWATER	410-273-5617