Suicide Bridge Restaurant Septic Elimination and Force Main

Dorchester County, Maryland

Suicide Bridge Restaurant is currently served by a failing on-site septic system located in the Critical Area. The system is unable to handle their daily flow which averages 5,000-6,000 gallons per day during the off season and 9,000-10,000 gallons per day during the peak summer season. Due to soil conditions and seasonal high groundwater throughout the property, the Dorchester County Health Department will not approve renovation or replacement of the septic system or the tile field.

RAUCH inc. was hired by the restaurant to find a solution. After an evaluation of existing conditions, potential alignments, soil investigations, and flow, we recommended that the best solution was establishing a connection from the restaurant to the Town of Secretary’s Twin Cities Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).

Our scope of work has included design, engineering, permitting, and construction documentation for a 4” force main as a denied access line that will connect to the nearest pumping station. Permits include a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval for horizontal directional drilling under the creek (approved), a Critical Areas Growth Allocation (approved), and a tidal wetlands license from the Maryland Department of the Environment (in review).

In January 2024, our firm recently assisted the restaurant with grant writing services. We submitted a Water Quality Capital Project Grant Program (Bay Restoration Fund) application to the Maryland Department of the Environment for construction of the forcemain.