REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - The installation of a new dewatering facility in Rehoboth Beach marks the completion of phase 3 in the city's ten year project to update its wastewater treatment facilities.
Phase 3 in the $70 million initiative included the addition of a new belt filter press that went into operation last month.
This new machinery creates a byproduct called "cake" that is 20% solid and can be thrown out in a landfill. The previous method's output was a 2% solid sludge that had been applied to farmland outside of Milford.
Phase 4 of this plan includes the installation of new plant controls, replacing chemical feed and water pumping systems and making renovations to the dewatering building with three storage tanks.
The city says work on these water treatment upgrades will begin this fall. They anticipate choosing a contractor for the project at their August 15 meeting.
Construction costs for this final phase are estimated at $14 million by the city and are included in the budget over the next three fiscal years.