Many years ago, Howard Seymour - for whom the Lewes Wastewater Treatment Plant is named - made what was considered a radical suggestion.
Why not divert Lewes's treated wastewater to the dunes of Cape Henlopen State Park, where it could nourish the grasses and strengthen nature's coastal defense against erosion? He noted the wastewater is treated to such a high degree that all the toxins are removed, leaving only nutrients. Wouldn't that be better, he said, than pumping it into the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal?
Howls came quickly. Wastewater on our sacred dunes!?! How stupid, how ignoble, how dreadfully bad for the environment.
Seymour's suggestion faded quickly, but it had a lot of merit. It's never too late, of course. In the future, Lewes could divert some of its nutrient-rich wastewater to the dunes and forests of the cape where more than 1,000 acres of pines, blueberries, cranberries, briars and other wildlife habitat could benefit.
His suggestion is not so distant from Sussex County Engineer Hans Medlarz's proposal that the Wolfe Neck spray irrigation fields for the regional wastewater system be converted to forest. The spray irrigation fields have been problematic. At certain times of the year, fields become sodden with rainfall, making them difficult to farm to get proper uptake by crops.
High saturation leaves two undesirable options: Continue spraying on the fields to the point where they puddle extensively, resulting in the excess flowing off into surrounding marshes; or, stop spraying, which causes a bigger problem. Waste production does not stop.
Sussex County is expanding the capacity of its Inland Bays wastewater treatment facility, and engineering its collection system so wastewater can be directed to the facility best situated seasonally to handle treated wastewater. Medlarz's conversion would allow the nutrient-rich wastewater to fertilize the trees, provide excellent habitat for wildlife, relieve the contract farmer from a difficult agreement, and provide many recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.
Let's hear it for sensible and sustainable solutions.
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Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporters Ron MacArthur and Chris Flood.
