Kent County public works official warns sewer allocations limit near-term growth; Millington plant planned

Dan Mattson, Kent County director of public works, told the Kent County Economic & Tourism Development Commission that sewer allocations and pipe capacity are constraining new development and described two projects the county is pursuing to address the limits: completing the Village of Kennedyville subdivision and building a new wastewater treatment plant for Millington.

Mattson opened with a short “sewer 101” explaining how the county measures capacity. "The industry term is EDU … an EDU represents 250 gallons per day of usage," he said, and described an allocation as "a portion of our capacity being allocated to a given property." He said the county bases single-family allocations on bedrooms: "the county's policy is that 1 EDU … gets you 4 bedrooms."

The nut of the presentation was that some systems have little remaining capacity and that the Millington system is nearing an operational threshold. Mattson said Millington's current plant treats about 90,000 gallons per day and that a planned county-owned plant is designed for 350,000 gallons per day on day one. "That project itself, is about 95% complete with the design," he said, and the county is negotiating purchase of the parcel where the new plant would be sited.

Mattson said the county has about 43 to 45 EDUs remaining in Kennedyville and that the commissioners decided to prioritize completing that Village of Kennedyville project rather than reserve capacity for speculative regional growth. He described the financing model for growth: allocation fees are intended to fund infrastructure needed for new connections while regular water and sewer rates fund ongoing maintenance. For Kennedyville, he said the 43 lots would generate over $600,000 in allocation fees that would pay for a pump station needed to support the development.

Mattson described how allocations and connections are handled: the county recommends capacity, the county and property owner execute a Public Works Agreement describing fees, construction and maintenance obligations, and allocation fees are paid at signature. He outlined a two-year grace period between signing an agreement and the start of full charges, during which a “vacant lot fee” equal to half of the quarterly charge is assessed if a connection is not yet active. He also explained that at 85% treatment-plant utilization the county may pursue recouping allocations from parties who have purchased allocations but never connected.

On the Millington plant, Mattson said the county has pursued a range of funding sources and has design work and property-acquisition funding in hand from grants and regional partners. He listed grant and financing efforts the county has pursued or discussed, including applications to the Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), the Upper Shore Regional Council, congressional earmark requests, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a likely fallback lender. He told commissioners he could "see it starting construction around fiscal year 27," adding that construction would likely take 18–24 months once permitted and funded.

Commissioners and staff asked detailed operational questions during and after the presentation, including how EDUs convert to bedroom counts, how vacant-lot fees operate, how conveyance pipe sizes are modeled for capacity, and whether developer prepayments of allocations could help fund the new plant. Mattson said developers have already approached the county about reserving capacity by prepaying allocations once the project is fully designed and permitted.

Mattson cautioned that some cost and schedule risk remains because not all construction funding is secured; he said the county has funding for design and acquisition that he considered "safe" but that outstanding grant applications are still pending and could affect the timetable. He explained the county is using a cost-share arrangement with adjacent property owners and a separate development (Millington Senior Village) to do coordinated earthwork now while prices are lower.

Looking ahead, Mattson said the county will continue to apply for grants and is developing procurement terms for Kennedyville that require a developer to post bonding, complete infrastructure within five years, pay allocation fees up front, and meet qualitative qualifications to ensure the work will be completed.

The presentation closed with Mattson summarizing: "So with all that said, that's where we stand from a Public Works perspective." He and county staff offered to send the sewer-area map and additional design materials to commissioners after the meeting.

Ending: County staff said they will forward the map and design materials to commissioners and will continue grant and developer outreach. Mattson said the Millington plant design is near complete and the county will seek federal, state and USDA funding as needed; commissioners will review proposed public-works agreements and any developer bids when they are ready.