Mattawoman Wastewater Treatment Plant ENR Upgrade

Client: Charles County Department of Public Works

Location: Charles County, Maryland

Services: Environmental Engineering

Nutrient pollution is a serious threat to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, fueling algae growth, clouding water, depleting oxygen levels and creating dead zones for fish, blue crabs, oysters and other marine life. In the battle to save the Bay, Charles County has taken a big step forward through improvements to its Mattawoman Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). KCI and joint venture partner George Miles and Buhr led the design effort.

Because Mattawoman WWTP sits in the heart of the county’s designated growth and development district, the design team was tasked with reducing nutrient discharges to conform with the region’s biological nutrient removal (BNR) goals, while providing treatment capacity for the county’s economic and growth centers. Among the project’s challenges were site limitations, funding considerations, and operator safety concerns. In addition, all renovations had to occur while the site was operational.

Although originally designed to meet goals outlined in the 2000 Chesapeake Bay Initiative, engineers modified the original design to a four-stage treatment process known as BardenphoTM to comply with stringent new goals approved under the state’s Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) program. The joint venture team also assisted the County in negotiating the first-ever ENR grant from Maryland Department of the Environment, which covered more than 40 percent of the cost.

Mattawoman is now one of the most flexible, innovative, and state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plants in Maryland and is one of the first facilities to meet the new ENR goals. The application of unique design parameters such as effleunt reuse, bio-solids recycling, and multi-staged nitrogen removal uniquely positions the County to meet current ENR requirements, accommodate planned local growth, and assist in improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay. As a result of upgrades designed by KCI and GMB, the Mattawoman WWTP is capable of reducing nutrient discharges to the Bay by nearly two million pounds per year.

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