Prince George faces $80M24 124M bill for business-park wastewater; board racing state grant deadline

County utilities staff briefed the Board of Supervisors on two costly alternatives to provide wastewater capacity for the county's business park, laying out a multi-phased plan that could require tens of millions of dollars in capital work and long-term operating commitments.

Utilities staff presented the two options: a roughly 10-mile force-main to the City of Hopewell, which would require improvements at Hopewell's plant and could, depending on ammonia-permit requirements, push total capital-plus-operating cost estimates as high as $124 million over the planning horizon; or a roughly 14-mile pipeline to the Sussex Service Authority (Blackwater Swamp treatment plant), which would require an estimated $80 million in early capital for a phased plant expansion and about $1 million a year in operating costs in the near term.

Why this matters: the business park master plan anticipates up to 5 MGD (million gallons per day) of wastewater capacity. Without a decision, the county cannot secure capacity commitments or finalize funding, and board members noted developers and prospects will not commit without certainty.

Staff described the technical picture: a single large pump station could cost about $10 million; force-main pipe estimates range from roughly $32 million (about 10 miles) to about $40 million (about 14 miles). The City of Hopewell indicated primary clarifier work could cost $8 million to $13 million; DEQ ammonia limits remain unresolved and could add significant, currently unquantified costs. By contrast, Sussex Service Authority would need a plant expansion (a 4 MGD first-phase build was discussed), producing a combined capital estimate near $80 million and lower annual operating costs (staff estimated about $1 million annually for the Sussex option versus $32$4 million annually for Hopewell at initial build-out assumptions).

Board members pressed staff on payback and economic return. Staff said utility-rate recovery alone would take decades on a 30-year debt service schedule and framed the investment as an economic-development decision intended to expand industrial tax base and bring new jobs. Supervisors also noted a state offer of $10 million for wastewater infrastructure; staff said the state required an agreement demonstrating capacity for at least 2 MGD by an early-April deadline, and staff are seeking additional time and more definitive cost work from Hopewell and Sussex before committing.

Next steps: staff said more detailed cost estimates and rate analyses are needed, and recommended pursuing grant or developer funding to reduce the utility budget burden. The board did not adopt a binding plan at the meeting and asked staff to return with clarified capital estimates, operating rates, and the status of the state grant timeline.