County schedules public hearing to amend water and sewer plan for Millington wastewater project

Kent County staff requested and the board approved advertising for a required public hearing to amend the county’s 2018 Comprehensive Water and Sewer Plan to incorporate a proposed new Millington wastewater treatment plant and related service area adjustments.

Mister Dan Mattson (staff) described the administrative timeline: he said the amendment draft was submitted to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the county responded to MDE comments on June 23; MDE subsequently recommended proceeding with a resolution to amend the plan. Mattson said staff planned to place notice on the July 22 agenda and run legal ads ahead of an August 5 public hearing, with possible adoption of the resolution pending the hearing outcome.

Mattson explained the amendment specifically addresses the new plant sited outside Millington town limits and the immediate service area; he also said separate amendment work is under discussion for additional distribution/service-area changes and that staff separated the cases so one would not hold the other up.

Action: the board authorized staff to proceed with required public-notice steps and schedule the public hearing.

Why it matters: amending the comprehensive water and sewer plan is a required procedural step for constructing and operating a new wastewater treatment plant and for defining future service areas. The board and staff said the amendment will allow the Millington project to proceed through the state review and adoption process.

Next steps: staff will publish notices, hold the public hearing on Aug. 5 and return to the board with hearing results and the proposed resolution.