Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce an Additional $170,000 in Support of Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure in the Town of Luke

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $170,000 in federal funding to support the replacement of the entire sewer system in the Town of Luke. This funding is in addition to the $802,000 in federal funds that the lawmakers announced last year for the town to replace its water distribution lines following the closure of the Verso Paper Mill that threatened the wellbeing and livelihood of Luke residents. The funding is administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants program.

“This investment builds on the critical ongoing work to modernize the water infrastructure in the Town of Luke following the closure of the paper mill. We will continue pushing for federal resources to deliver safe drinking water and promote new economic development,” said the lawmakers.

The Town of Luke operates and maintains the sewer collection system, which was constructed by the town’s former paper mill that was shuttered in 2019. The system consists of terra cotta pipe, a few man holes, a pump station and force main, as well as a grinder pump and force main. The sewer collection system is in the process of a multi-phase replacement, with the current phase involving the replacement of the existing gravity sewer in the Mullen Avenue area. The Maryland Department of the Environment is providing $506,000 of additional funding to support this project.