As per the agreed terms, Archer Western Contractors will be responsible for the Phase I construction of a 300 million gallon per day Enhanced Nutrient Removal Facility at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The construction of the project is slated for completion by December 2016.
Owned and operated by the city of Baltimore, the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant currently releases around 35,000 pounds of nitrogen and 6,000 pounds of phosphorus pour into the Bay.
The expansion and modernization of the enhanced nutrient removal facility is expected to lower the flow of nitrogen and phosphorus.
Public Works director Alfred Foxx said that the wastewater treatment project is an integral part of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program mandated by the Maryland Department of the Environment.
When completed, the project will lower the nutrients that contribute to algae blooms, which reduce the oxygen content in the water and cause fish kills, added Foxx.
The project and its additional phase are expected to create 250 jobs.
