System Would Use Effluent to Produce Power

Project director Sharon Segner said CPV has not entered an agreement with the county but is excited to learn more about the closed-loop system.

Mirant's facility will use treated effluent from the La Plata wastewater sewage treatment station to power its wet scrubbers, Mirant regional manager Misty Allen said. Using La Plata's sewage will help clean up the Port Tobacco River watershed, an environmentally sensitive area that has been polluted in part because of sewage discharges.

Charles is under pressure to preserve groundwater in the face of rapid residential growth, county planning director Melvin C. Beall Jr. said. One of the primary reasons for opposition to power plants in the area has been that they use large amounts of water. But by using treated effluent instead, power companies can weaken environmental opposition to their projects.

"If you can take a project and demonstrate that it will actually improve the environment, it's a real, real selling point," Middleton said.

Some scientists and water experts said the system is likely to have environmental benefits.

"It sounds like a very innovative idea," said Beth McGee, a water quality scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Linda Hanifin-Bonner, a spokeswoman for the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, said the closed-loop system would be a "tremendous attribute."

"It's a smart way to manage the whole issue around wastewater and water resources management," Hanifin-Bonner said.

Charles officials briefed Maryland Department of the Environment officials on the closed-loop system this month. Although the Maryland department has not officially evaluated the proposal, officials signaled that they would support the project.