The Frederick County Sanitation Authority’s (FCSA’s) 2017 Sanitary Sewer Master Plan was developed to
assess sanitary sewer facility needs as growth occurs within and around the Authority’s service area. The
master plan evaluates previous studies, reviews existing conditions, assesses proposed regional growth,
and identifies a time frame in which the growth is likely to occur.

The master plan identifies needed upgrades and alternatives to provide sanitary sewerage to existing and
future customers. The identified alternatives provide more than one solution to many of the sewerage
challenges the Authority will encounter over the next 30 years. To better identify the needs the Authority
must meet, a set of recommended solutions have been compiled.

The FCSA sanitary sewer system currently conveys and treats slightly more than 5 MGD between three
wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs): Frederick Winchester Service Authority’s (FWSA’s) Opequon
Water Reclamation Facility, the Parkins Mills WWTP, and the Crooked Run WWTP. Treatment volume
could grow to more than 20 MGD in the next 30 years.
Growth and the timeframe in which it occurs are often uncertain. This master plan is conservative in its
estimates of growth and future sewer flows generated. The conservative growth assessment may estimate
higher flows over a shorter duration. However, preparing for this higher future flows earlier allows the
Authority to make better decisions and construct more effective collection, conveyance, and treatment
alternatives to meet future needs.

The report has identified several needed improvements. BH has worked with FCSA staff to identify and
recommend alternatives that are viable from our current perspective. Some of these improvements will
require substantial engineering design and financial considerations.
Based on projected flows and the distribution of growth during the 10-year growth period,
recommendations of interest are expansion of the Parkins Mills WWTP and the construction of a new
WWTP in the vicinity of the Stephenson Regional Pump Station. The budgetary estimate of these two
projects alone could exceed $60,000,000. However, by working with the County, the City of Winchester,
and the FWSA to manage regional growth and leverage regional infrastructure, it may be possible to avoid
doing both plant projects at the same time.

This master plan is designed to identify needed infrastructure to meet future demands. Knowing capacity
requirements over the next 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, and 30-year periods and the limitations of the current
conveyance and treatment facilities will allow the Authority to meet the needs of a growing region with
the most efficient and cost-effective solutions.