FORT WASHINGTON, PA. — The Maryland Rural Water Association has named the Elkton wastewater treatment plant the System of the Year in the state for 2010.

The $30-million, 3.2-MGD biological nutrient removal / enhanced nutrient removal wastewater treatment plant was brought online in 2008. Receiving its formal dedication on April 30, 2010, the plant was constructed as part of a larger effort to reduce pollution to and restore the Chesapeake Bay. The facility is expected to reduce effluent nitrogen by 80 percent and decrease phosphorus by 70 percent to the Big Elk River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay.

The association’s awards criteria for System of the Year include:

• Quality and consistency of treatment process and results
• Quality and consistency of wastewater service to customers
•  A special new project, program or upgrade instituted within the past year
• Demonstrated innovation or creativity in addressing a system function, problem or operation
• Exceptional effort by system personnel under difficult circumstances
• Outstanding professionalism of system operations or management personnel

Severn Trent Services, the facility’s contract operator, is responsible for operation, maintenance, and management of Elkton’s water and wastewater systems through a public-private partnership that dates back to 1993.

For more information, visit www.severntrentservices.com.