Marlay-Taylor Wastewater Reclamation Facility Open for Tours


Students from Chopticon High School’s AP Environmental Science class tour the Marlay-Taylor Wastewater Reclamation Facility in St. Mary's Co. Students from Chopticon High School’s AP Environmental Science class tour the Marlay-Taylor Wastewater Reclamation Facility in St. Mary's Co.

CALIFORNIA, Md. (April 11, 2017)—DuWayne Potter, superintendent of the Marlay-Taylor Wastewater Reclamation Facility, recently hosted approximately 25 students from Chopticon High School's AP Environmental Science class. The juniors and seniors enjoyed a 1.5 hour tour tailored to their current studies in the advanced placement class.

Students were guided through the treatment processes; beginning with initial separation of inorganic material to the final release of wastewater treated for release into the Chesapeake Bay. Discussion focused on the three processes of treatment: physical, biological and chemical. Wastewater treatment is an excellent example of how science, particularly microbiology and chemistry, is applied to solve an everyday problem such as waste disposal. The students gained better insight into the complicated science behind the processes that keep waste out of our waterways.

Tours and class trips of the facility are an opportunity for the public to view first-hand the physical, biological and chemical processes of waste treatment from flush to finish. Tours can be tailored to suit the needs and interests of a particular group, according to Potter.

Marlay-Taylor re-opened for tours following approximately two years of heavy construction at the completion of a $39M project to upgrade its enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) process. One of 64 treatment plants in the state required to become ENR compliant, the project was funded in part by a grant from the Maryland Department of the Environment through the Bay Restoration Fund.

This plant is the largest treatment facility operated by MetCom, treating an average daily flow of about 4.2 million gallons and serving areas from Lexington Park to St. Mary's College and St. George Island.

Members of the public are encouraged to contact MetCom Superintendent DuWayne Potter at dpotter@metcom.or or by calling 301.737.7400, extension 600 for a tour of the facilities.

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