Trappe Wastewater Treatment Plant

Trappe, Maryland

RAUCH, inc. is providing civil engineering design services and project management for a new wastewater treatment plant in Trappe, Maryland. The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a phased, Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) Membrane BioReactor (MBR) WWTP and is the largest plant on the Eastern Shore. The plant will be owned and operated by the Town of Trappe as a municipal utility serving Trappe residents and businesses. Expanded phases of the plant will be sized according to future WWTP treatment demands. Phase one of the plant, which is completed, accommodates 100,000 gallons. Future phases of the plant will accommodate up to 500,000 gallons. Our firm also designed and assisted with permitting, specifications, and project management for spray irrigation infrastructure.

The Town of Trappe serves its current residents with a Biolac extended aeration activated sludge treatment plant with continuous backwash sand filtration. The treated wastewater is disinfected with chlorine, chemically dechlorinated, aerated, and then discharged in accordance with an approved Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) point discharge permit. The plant is only meeting BNR levels of treatment and is aging, so RAUCH was retained by the Town to complete a preliminary engineering study. We completed the report in 2023 and examined options for upgrading, replacing, or consolidating the plant with the new plant described above. The report included an evaluation of alternatives, a life-cycle cost analysis, present value analysis, solar energy options, cost estimates, and potential funding sources.