Fredericksburg considers consolidating wastewater treatment plant

Three wastewater treatment plants are being consolidated into one to save taxpayers money and lessen the environmental impact on the Rappahannock River.

Under the plan, Fredericksburg would close its wastewater treatment plant and direct the wastewater to a facility in Spotslyvania County.

Consolidation could save both the city and county between $500,000 and $1 million in operational costs, according to Fredericksburg Assistant City Manager Doug Fawcett.

Fredericksburg owns a wastewater treatment plant located on Beulah Salisbury Road. The plant can handle about 4.5 million gallons of water per day, but it needs to be updated within the next five to 10 years, or it will be decommissioned, according to city documents.

The plant has already been upgraded twice since beginning its operations in the mid-1950s.

The consolidation move falls in line with the City Council’s 2036 Vision Statement. One of the long-term goals listed in the statement is a clean and green environment for the city.

“Our location on the Rappahannock River compels us to consider the environmental impact of every decision that we make. Our air and water quality is ensured through careful management,” according to city documents.

To achieve this goal, the city will join with Spotsylvania County which also plans to close its plant that lies downriver from the city. It was built in the 1930s and would need to be upgraded as well. The operating capacity of this plant is only four million gallons per day.

The plan is to expand the water treatment facility at Motts Run, located in Massaponax, to accommodate the closure of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania plants. That plant, which was built in the 1970s and upgraded in 2001, can currently handle 9.4 million gallons per day. It will be expanded to handle 17.9 million gallons per day when all three plants are combined.

The localities hope to get funding from the state’s Water Quality Improvement Fund which would help with all the enhancements that would be necessary to expand the Motts Run Plant.

The estimated cost would be between $110,000 and $115,000, and the city hopes to get at least 50% funding from the state to cover the cost of the consolidation.

Spotsylvania County will manage the consolidation. No dates have been set, but the end goal for the project is 2025.