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Monday, February 16, 2009

Here's What Started Salisbury News 3 Years Ago

Human Feces piled high with no liner underneath steaming in the sun.

Pontoon Boat sits in a human feces sludge pit the size of a football field and 20" deep.


New equipment sits outside the pit for overflow to pump water off the top but drained into the river.

Sandbags line the back of the illegal sludge pit as it was full to the top and regularly overflowed down a hill and directly into the Wicomico River.


Another clear sign of evidence just how high the sludge filled the 20' deep illegal sludge pit.


Clear signs of vehicles using/dumping into the illegal pit daily.


This photo only shows about 1/2 the size of the entire illegal sludge pit.


This photo shows the back wall of the illegal sludge pit where illegal waste would overflow and continue downhill, ultimately finding its way directly to the Wicomico River.

Three years ago I had been informed that there was numerous illegal activities going on at the Salisbury Waste Water Treatment Plant. I drove to the facility in my pickup truck and pulled inside the facility. I asked for directions to the Main Office and ultimately parked my truck right in front of their front door. I got out and simply started walking the grounds. I had been told there was an illegal sludge pit filled with human waste. I had also been told that there was an area in which the MDE was completely unaware of back in the woods and there was a dirt road heading back there.

It took me a while to find it but to my unbelievable surprise, there it was! The claim was that every time they experienced heavy rainfall, the Plant would overflow. They were allegedly draining their system before a heavy rain and dumping it into this pit. Nevertheless, there was a liner that ultimately only had a guarantee for 30 days, although the City/Mayor claimed it had a guarantee for many years, she was wrong.

I took all these pictures and hundreds more and contacted the MDE. They came to my home and started looking at the photos and they couldn't believe their own eyes. They immediately pulled together a team and had me standing by so I could instruct them just where to go. By the end of the day the MDE was writing one station after the other for all sorts of illegal activity. The Mayor claimed she'd take full responsibility and ultimately the City was fines $25,000.00 for what they had done. It could have been at least $250,000.00 but I worked with the MDE asking them NOT to punish the Taxpayers. It was more important that they forced the City to clean up this mess and make sure it never happened again.

They even had wells they had illegally drilled and were pumping millions of gallons of untreated water into a man made stream that flowed directly into the River as well. I'll never forget just how pissed off the Mayor was about my being there and taking all these pictures. She and John Jacobs came up with a new plan to make sure I wouldn't return. They put blue stickers on every white hard hat and demanded every employee call the Police and have me arrested or anyone else who didn't have a hard hat on with the blue sticker.

When I said I was going back to take more pictures in a plane, the Mayor allegedly contacted the Feds and allegedly tried to create a No Fly Zone over the WWTP. ROTFLMAO, I did it anyway. If I have the time I'll post those photos from above as well.

Ever since I came onto the scene, Mayor Barrie Tilghman and Chief Webster have done everything possible to have me arrested and or my Blog shut down. Who ever said you can't fight City Hall? Are you listening Hebron? Are you listening Somerset County?

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yum Yum Joe you got some chips to with with the dip in that first picture? ROFLMAO

It's really not funny, thanks for waking the people of Salisbury up Joe.

Anonymous said...

Joe:

This situation -- and your effort in exposing it -- has brought down Barrie Tilghman and, we hope, Bubba Comegys, too.

Anonymous said...

The dept heads that done this should be sent to prison. Who is responsible, why arent there criminal charges? If only we had a real mayor.......

Anonymous said...

We love you, Joe; nobody else could have taken the time and resources to do this.

Barrie was lulled into thinking she could use intimidation against you as she has done over the years with so many others. With you, she has seen she has failed to win.
Her street-fighter tactics met their match in you.

Reconciled1 said...

And I've been following you ever since. My brother Jay turned me on to the blog and I've been a faithful reader ever since.

Anonymous said...

It wasnt you who stirred up the sh@t was it Joe.

Anonymous said...

holy crap dude...

joe albero said...

What I find interesting is, back whgen I put up this article there was only about 200 people a day coming to Salisbury News. Now there are thousands upon thousands per day and many people had no clue I was the one who actually broke this story and investigated it.

I'll never forget Kenny Beck from WMDT calling me from a Hotel in Baltimore where he had just won a huge award for that story. He said, guess what Joe? What Kenny. "WE just won an award for the WWTP story." I said, good for you Kenny. He said, no Joe, WE, you and me. I couldn't have done it without all of your help. I said, OK, you take the bottom half and I'll take the top half. He cracked up but he was really happy to get the award.

Anonymous said...

hey Anon 11:17 --

joe has a lot, A LOT, more money than the newspapers. so yeah duh he has the most resources. it works to his advantage.

Anonymous said...

Kenny Beck was the real deal. Sorry to see him leave, but not surprised. His candidates' forum was great. You don't hear anyone else in media doing something at that level.

Congrats, Joe. You keep us in the poop, er, loop!

Anonymous said...

So now they have the 6 foot diameter stormwater runoff pipes instead to divert sewage overruns. Where the heck are all of the tree-hugger bay saver groups that constantly beg for donations? Save the Bay for example? Where is the MDE??

joe albero said...

Where's Pretl?

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:08
It hasn't brought anyone down! What do you mean? These people are still in office. They are going to remain full term. Perhaps they won't run again, or will run but be defeated. But you miss the point.

Even when this type of corruption is exposed, these people manage to remain in office and avoid prosecution for CRIMES against nature and humanity.

Joe has done what he could and we must thank him. However, it is obvious that the citizens need to wake up folks. Sieze the power you have and go on the offensive. Do not let these people continue to run rough-shod over our rights and property. Take charge of the situation.

Get pissed off already.

shoreatheist said...

I thought pollution was all because of us farmers spreading chicken manure...

Anonymous said...

The Mayor's taking "full responsibility" really didn't amount to a crock of, well, you know what. She would have been much more believable if she'd put up her $25,000 mayoral salary to offset the fine. Funny that those two numbers match, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

I would also like an answer to this question from all the Mayor candidates.

Do you agree with the storm drain pipe flowing into the river WITH-OUT the proper filtration system.

Its a YES or NO question,simple as that.

Anonymous said...

Doug...I agree but our PAST officials can't answer.
Yes or No is a multiple question/answer

Anonymous said...

Thousands upon thousands of visitors per day? Really? Aren't you stretching it a little Joe?

joe albero said...

anonymous 11:43,

I'm NOT stretching a thing here. Believe me, I have two daily witnesses that know our numbers every day. You may not want to believe it but it is what it is. Oh, if you want to continue not believing it, I really don't care. No disrespect but if you can't figure out the fact that we're known everywhere, to whomever you talk to, you're in a completely different world any more.