Eastport wastewater plant to expand to 9 million gallons per day, pursue reclaimed-water use

Unidentified Speaker, an Eastport Wastewater Treatment Plant representative, said the plant is expanding its treatment capacity from 6,000,000 gallons per day to 9,000,000 gallons per day to serve a larger portion of Mid County and provide reclaimed water for local golf courses. "Right now, we're expanding our facility from a 6,000,000 gallon a day waste water plant to a 9,000,000 gallon a day waste water plant," the speaker said.

The increase in capacity is intended in part to supply treated water for irrigation at golf courses, the speaker said, describing reclaimed water as a planned use for excess treated flow. The representative linked the plant's treatment goals to environmental protection, saying removing nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus helps protect rivers, lakes and coastal waters and noting that those protections are "regulated by DEP."

On operations, the speaker summarized the treatment steps: pumps and motors move raw wastewater into the process; air is added to support microorganisms that biologically break down waste; solids are removed; and the remaining effluent is disinfected before reuse or discharge. "We move the water with pumps and motors. We add air for the microorganisms to do their work. Solids are removed, and the clean disinfected water gets reused," the speaker said.

The representative also stressed workforce needs, saying the plant requires "licensed operators, mechanics" and instrument technicians and called plant operations "a team effort." The presentation closed with the speaker saying, "We're doing our part there to take care of the water."

The statement did not include a construction timeline, financing details, permit status, or specific golf courses that will receive reclaimed water. Those details were not specified in the remarks and would need to be confirmed by plant officials or permitting authorities. The representative did not identify themselves by name in the remarks.