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Enhanced
Nutrient Removal (ENR)
The Maryland Center for
Environmental Training (MCET) offers technical assistance to Maryland's
communities and businesses. Our technical assistance is designed to help
with compliance issues, but the assistance is non-regulatory and
voluntary.
Currently,
we are assisting facilities move from BNR to ENR - or in some cases
straight to ENR. If you are interested in this program and would like
our assistance please use our request form below and send to MCET.
Other ways to contact MCET for this assistance: e-mail us at
info@mcet.org or call
301-934-7500 for a technical assistance request form.
Technical Assistance Request
Forms:
Why an Enhanced
Nutrient Removal Program?
http://www.mde.state.md.us/Water/CBWRF/evolution_ENR.asp
Recognizing that more needs to be done,
the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement requires further reduction in nitrogen
and phosphorus entering the Bay by about 20 million pounds and 1 million
pounds per year respectively. The Maryland Department of the
Environment will use the Bay Restoration Fund to upgrade the 66 major
wastewater treatment plants, which discharge to the Chesapeake Bay, with
enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) technologies.
Once upgraded, these plants are
expected to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus in the wastewater down to 3
mg/l total nitrogen and 0.3 mg/l total phosphorus, achieving
approximately one-third of the needed reduction under the Chesapeake Bay
2000 Agreement. Other pollutants will continue to be reduced by more
than 90%.
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Maryland's Policy
for Nutrient Cap Management and Trading
The Maryland
Department of the Environment (MDE) through a
public process has developed a
Policy for
Nutrient Cap Management and Trading
(Policy), which took effect on April 17, 2008.
It is a creative and innovative approach to
managing point sources nutrient load caps. One
aspect of Maryland’s approach is unique. Other
states allow trading in lieu of upgrading a WWTP.
In Maryland, upgrade of major WWTPs is required
and the Bay
Restoration Fund (BRF) was
instituted to fully fund these upgrades.
Trading is not available as a substitute for the
upgrades. Nutrient reductions achieved through
the upgrades must be maintained to meet Bay
water quality goals. The Policy addresses both
the need to achieve early nutrient load
reductions from point sources through enhanced
nutrient removal upgrades and the need to
address new or increased point source nutrient
loads associated with a growing population. The
need to address planned growth is met through
various environmentally sensitive offset/trading
options and requirements outlined in the
Policy. Facts About
Nutrient Cap Management/Trading - Phase One provides
a summary of the Policy along with frequently
asked questions about the Policy. Under this
policy, Maryland will continue to be a leader in
the effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay while
accommodating expected population growth.
Courtesy of MDE:
http://www.mde.state.md.us/Water/nutrientcap.asp |
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