BALTIMORE– The Maryland Department of the Environment is trying to reassure the public that the plan to treat two million gallons of water contaminated by a train derailment in Palestine, Ohio, poses no danger to the state, but local leaders still have questions.
In a statement, staff at the department said the levels of contaminants in the water are “so low that the water is not considered hazardous waste.”
These contaminants “are completely removed during the treatment process,” the staff said.
The city guides found out on Thursday pretreated waste water sent to the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant – a municipal facility in Dundalk, Maryland.
The city-operated Baltimore County facility was temporarily under state control due to compliance and permitting issues. Last week, an explosion occurred at a construction company site, and no one was injured.
The process of monitoring the contaminated water is being overseen by the state, officials at the department said.
“The Maryland Department of the Environment will continue to exercise regulatory oversight of the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant and will work closely with Baltimore City and Baltimore County officials to oversee the treatment process and protect both public health and the environment,” the Maryland said Department of the environment spokesman Jay Apperson said. “We will continue to work with the federal government to ensure we have the resources and staff needed to provide treatment.”
Baltimore Mayor Scott and Baltimore County executive Johnny Olszewski said Friday they see the situation as an indication the ailing Back River plant is on the right track.
On Friday, the Ohio EPA reported about 8 million gallons of sewage was hauled out of the city.
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Now local leaders are demanding a legal opinion from the attorney general and have expressed concerns to federal officials about being left in the dark.
“That’s something I’ve raised at the highest levels of the federal government: that we should communicate better about things like this — and we know we can and will do that in the future,” Scott said.
In Baltimore County, delegates Kathy Szeliga (R) and Ryan Nawrocki (R) issued a joint statement Friday opposing the toxic waste.
“As a member of the Environment and Transport Committee, I have heard countless hours of testimony about the constant outages at the Back River treatment plant in Dundalk,” said Nawrocki. “This treatment plant has a history of sewage overflows. You certainly shouldn’t rely on processing toxic waste into Maryland’s greatest natural resource.”
“That’s something I’ve raised at the highest levels of the federal government: that we should communicate better about things like this — and we know we can and will do that in the future,” Scott said.
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said he, too, is seeking immediate answers from the EPA, such as how they concluded they can ensure the health and safety of Marylanders are not compromised.
“I’ve been in touch with them and local officials in Baltimore City and County,” Van Hollen said. He said no plan should be finalized until local leaders are able to get satisfactory answers.
