I don't have all of the details in just yet but some time last evening there was a massive oil spill into Tony Tank Lake. Hazmat Teams are all over the place off of Rolling Road and Camden. Residents stated there was a strong odor of oil throughout the neighborhood.
Everyone has been trying to keep this from the Press but you heard it here first and crews are on the way. More to come......
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
55 comments:
Of course we heard it here first. That's why I check this blog out every morning and after work. If you want to know what's going on, you'll find it here.
Keep up the great work, Joe. Go get 'em!
HA! Com'on Joe.
How can we "hear it here first" when it happened last night and there are "Hazmat Teams are all over the place".
Kinda hard to hide a hazmat team from the public!
What a stupid statement! Look around everywhere else, they have NO info on it.
Yes I drove out of Tony Tank onto Camden Ave this morning 7:30am and was about knocked out by the petroleum fumes.
9:30
i live in hebron and work in delmar. haven't seen one hazmat vehicle.
BIG BLUE TRUCKS AND YELLOW WATER BOOMS, hum sounds like a problem to me
SU had a problem with a roof furnace. The product went into a roof drain and then to the storm water system.
To: The Campus Community
From: Richard Culver, Media Relations Director
Salisbury University is participating in a unified command response to a pollution spill in Tony Tank Creek in Salisbury.
An unknown amount of red dye diesel fuel is believed to have leaked from a fuel tank on campus late Wednesday night.
A unified command has been established with the U.S. Coast Guard and representatives from SU, the Maryland Department of the Environment, Salisbury City Fire Department and Wicomico County Emergency Management.
Miller Environmental Group has been hired to clean the spill.
The cause of the spill is currently under investigation.
Thanks Joe for explaining what the smell is
is anyone going to inform the people that live on tony tank about this??
If this would have been a private company, you could bet that the state agencies would levy fines until the company is out of business and the owner is bankrupt and in jail. Since this is a state agency nothing will happen.
Who installed the tank?
I want whomever in SU that caused this....this....disaster FIRED!!!!! Darnit....SU has done it again. They are ruining this city!!!
D
Good point.
Salisbury University is tax exampt. It does not pay city and county taxes! How much is this going to cost us. I like the university, I just think they should pay their fair share for comunity services.
It Smelled Like Fuel Around 7pm last nite Around Tony Tank! Glad They Figured it Out
10:59 A.M.
Thats really immature of you to say. Why in the world would you fire someone becuase of this, this most likely was a something uncontrolable and it unfortuniatly happened. Clearly the thing to do now is not point fingers but clean it up and make the area safe for the community and the wildlife there. I am sure S.U. will pay a good amount in fines becuase of this. By the way S.U. is good for this town, they provide jobs for people and an education for students. A fuel spill could happen to anyone that has a oil furnace,or a vehicle that runs on fuel just maybe not at this magnitude. Think before you write something, you must be a perfect individual or atleast u think so.
And who said that the fire dept. doesn't need a boat?
Is Janet D-E cavorting down in Mexico again? Check her face-book to find out!
Joe you'v come a long way when the Media Relations Director leaves a comment on your blog. To think some people don't even think your main stream news, maybe this helps answer their questions that SALISBURY NEWS IN MAINSTREAM NEWS. Keep up the good work.
That's it. SU just wanted to help Bill Gordy justify the fire boat.
(I'm joking folks, but crying in my wallet.)
3000 gallons!
Thats a lot!
11:32am, Gary! you cant put a fire boat in the pond, dummy! Nor are you authorized to clean up oil spills in waterways.
SU used to have malfunctioning pump switches at a cpl bldings, the dutyman would have to transfer fuel from 1 tank to another, when it was full the switch wouldnt shut the pump off, a cpl occasions he fell asleep waiting, there were more than a few spills. None this large, and not sure this is the problem either.
Get real! Do you realize just how much money is brought into our town by SU? Students ,staff and events....Gimme a break. Crap happens and just b/c it happened SU property doesn't mean its their fault.
Never mind the stench coming from the water teratment plant all WEEK!
haha... Anon11:38
Someone just posted the email they received.
To: The Campus Community
From: Richard Culver, Media Relations Director
That's the clue it's an email!
Don;t mean to rain on anyones parade, but first off anyone who has a campus email,(I still use mine even though I graduated a few years back) got that press release, and I think, not sure, but think that I read it when I checked Wboc just after 8 this morning, could be wrong though
Anon 1129 obviously has never know someone in the gasoline station business who has underground tanks leak.
If a gas station is found to have underground tanks leaking the current owners and ANY previous owners are held responsible. Responsibility means the financial cost to clean up the leaks, in addition to fines for allowing the leak to occure.
There is nor should there be and acceptable excuse for such a leak, as this one.
If this were a private business this type of event would most likely drive them into bankruptcy.
Salisbury University and the State of Md, must be held responsible and reimbursement made to local residents as well as any non State owned resources provided to assist in the clean up.
Mark, you should go back & read who the letter was addressed to. It was addressed to "The Campus Community", not Joe Albero!
Theres no big secret or anybody hiding anything. The media outlets were asleep when all this was being handled. You cant hide something like this for sure. The University had some kind of malfunction that was not intentional and they are working with authorities. Just another story on another day.
joe,
why does the storm drain go to tony tank pond. where is the EPA with all this. these storm drains cant keep draining into the river and ponds. when will this govt wake up and stop the pollution. thanks sjd
Oh No, W.E.T & the save the Bay crowd will probably move to shut SU down!
Then who's fault is it? Thats just great. SU gets out of trouble again. The administration of SU should just wear skates. They seem to skate out of everything.
D
To Anon 12:02. Or all the chickens. How can anyone complain of foul odors on the eastern shore when nearly anywhere smells from chickens, manure on fields or Perdue.
I love the apologists around here.
Yeah pick on the poultry industry.....the broilers dont stay up having parties til 4 am and leave beer cans in their neighbors yards.....
Sweetie,the poultry industry employs way more people than SU on the Eastern Shore.That stinky odor you smell?Money.
Dateline: Salisbury Md.
A fuel oil spill at the local college has caused the oil to contaminate the Tony Tank Pond.
Investigators have discovered that a local waterman working part time as a maintenance man for the college brought live chicken, borrowed from a local chicken farmer to work to show a friend some unusual markings on it. The chicken escaped and pecked a hole in a fuel line, causing the spill.
Authorities have charged the waterman and the chicken farmer with polluting the waterways.
12:58-
Why do the storm drains at the Civic Center dump right into the creek behibd it that runs thru City Park? -- and no on-site ponds, etc. to reduce the volume.
Where's the EPA on that atrocity?
And now they want to build a "dog park" right at the creek.
1:05-
WET and the Chesapeake Bay crazies say no more cluster homes or colleges in the wonderful world of Wicomico Woody, the big pecker.
So are the new 6 foot diameter storm water runoff pipes now being installed being done for the Phony skanks of Tony Tank? Let it go into the "poor sections of the city Instead?
Blutojthetotmom the amount of ppl employed may be higher for chicken farmers but the amount of revenue that SU brings is far greater. I wasnt speaking negatively towards chicken farmers, I was merely amazed at how anyone can complain of an odor around here when there are so many.
12:24
No matter how much you inspect tanks, lines, fittings etc... Leaks can develope quickly, i just dont think someone should get fired becuase of it unless the one responsible of proper matinence and inspections wasn't doing there job correctly. I am in the business and i have had trucks inspected then 2-3 days later they develope leaks and of course i address them. As far S.U. they well take responsibilty for this there is know doubt and like i said they will pay alot of money to make this right. I have dealt with epa before and it isn't cheap and they mean business. Quit running S.U. down and wanting someone fired, lets get to the bottom of this and get it fixed and try to prevent any further spills in the future. Why you people always want people to fail i dont know, things happen and you deal with them as they come. What if you lost your job for something out of your control. The majority of you on this site belive your perfect and never look in the mirror what if the heat was on you. How would you want to be treated. The world we live in is not perfect people and we shouldn't judge or wish negative things on people or a business for what seems to be an accident. S.U. has done alot for this city and i think we should back them as long as they are doing the right thing in this matter.
there goes the bass fishing!
Joe you are completely wrong i was out until 1 last night and the worst smell was by devilbiss hall maggs gym and the science center and the FD was so rude. I think it was your friend too. They said we have it under control it was easy to find out everyone has a nose.
I received a notice from WBOC at 7:55 this morning and they had it posted on their website at that time. I am not defending them, because this is the first time I can remember not hearing it here first, but that was not true in this one case. There is still much more information on the subject here though!
If it wasnt the administration. It was the students!!!!! SU needs to get a grip on reality. Straigten up. You've swept to much BS under the rug. It finally comes out.
D
anonymous 12:58,
Why do you think Debbie Campbell and Jim Ireton are fighting these kind of actions like they are. ALL drain pipes lead to the River and ultimately the Bay. Comegys & Boda couldn't care less about the environment.
As far as the media being asleep when this happened, that's just not true. Authorities can reach us any time, day or night. While I went to WBOC early this morning, there was nothing on their Site about this. Perhaps I missed it, it could have happened. However, I purposely searched everyone to see if I had the infor out there first before I said anything. Then I posted it and started calling my MSM contacts. I can assure you, WMDT had no idea any of this was going on but responded immediately.
I just LOVE how the Anti9 Albero Blogger has been all over the comments here screaming about how I wasn't first. ROTFLMAO! Well, I was certainly well before that Site as they heard it from Salisbury News. Get over it people and thanks for filling us in on what you do know about this situation. I have been busy elsewhere most of today and haven't even had time to follow up.
I just was in a Uniform store and talked to a young man David who discovered the smell in the gutter by SU at 9 last night. He had called at 6 to the the Sherriff and Central to report the smell. Then met the fire department and later that night at 9 and told them exactly where the smell was strongest at SU! The Captain pretty much ignored him and his Dad. I wonder if the Salisbury FD Capatin did his JOB how much fuel would have not leaked. And how much sooner they would have been on top of the situation.
Sound to me like the FD guy dropped the ball!
Must be Gordy's Son.
Its actually Robinson's son. He 12.
I know when we sold the property my fathers business was on we had to have the gas tank tested for leaks. It had no leaks, however while digging they found a tank that was on the property next door. A piece of land my father had bought many years ago. There used to be a house there and the oil tank was in the ground. The house was not even there when my father bought that property, we had no idea there was a tank there yet we were charged up the wazooo by the epa because that tank still had oil in it and was leaking.
SU should be made to pay for all clena up and any fines!
12:58 PM Said
"joe,
why does the storm drain go to tony tank pond. where is the EPA with all this. these storm drains cant keep draining into the river and ponds. when will this govt wake up and stop the pollution. thanks sjd"
I have to believe you are kidding by this comment. I mean where do you think rain water goes. You know those holes on the side of streets(inlets)? Well storm water goes into those holes and into pipes. The water isn't magically gobbled up, nor does it just dissapear. That water has to go somewhere. It ends up going into ditches, rivers, streams, stormwater management ponds (which have overflow pipes which go into all of the above), eventually making their way into the bay. That is why it is important for people not to litter. Like what was left after the inaguration. It would not be possible to have every ditch in the country, or every stormwater pipe to go to some facility where it can be processed. For the most part the stormwater is just that, storm water. Unfortunately from time to time, incidents such as this happen. The fuel simply made its way into a stormdrain, through the system, and into the pond.
You really dont believe that there is like a stormwater heaven that rainwater goes to once it goes in an inlet do you? Just out of curiosity, where did you think it went?
Nice try Joe. The University was not keeping this from anyone. An email was sent to the Campus Community at 8:34am on 3/12/09. Your post occurred at 9am on 3/12/09.
This being 12:02
... my point was that accidents , spills,happen. When fuel related. Tankers,natural gas lines, home oil tanks leak...IT happens.
The water treatment plant there could be something done about that. The chicken PooP! Is MONEY and has always helped this area greatly in 'tuff times'. And there have been great gains in run off and odor control in the industry.
POOP PLANT!?!?!? NOTHING ,NADDA! Just more POOP in the river. That there can be something done about.
And I am positive SU will sport the bill for clean up.
ANON 11:15 you are an IDIOT. TO any other local yocal that talks any kind of tax payer or cost the city trash about salisbury university you are a retard. The only difference between hebron, whaleyville, vienna and salisbury is that salisbury lucked out with a university cash cow. How many business have salisbury grads working for them. How many have salisbury interns. How many provide services and bennefits to the students. How much revenue does salibsury get out of liquor sales and beer sales alone. The students and university are salisury. The school is a posative not a negative. I went there, I graduated from there, then I bought a house here, and have my business here. I know alot of people that have done the same thing. Until the students and school are welcomed and appriceated, there will always be problems. Some residents speak of the school like its a prison and criminals are the only thing that comes out of it.
To the 7:30 poster: You may have went to school at SU, but you certainly were not an English major, were you?
802: "May have went"????
Pot calls kettle Black.
And nobody got my chicken farmer/ waterman joke.
I am now disgruntled!
The old-heads of this town need to wake up and realize a few things. If the crime rate continues to rise, and there are no good jobs here to support the younger generations on the rise, the middle amd upper class are going to start leaving this area at an exponential rate. No middle class hard working white kid is going to want to grow up and raise his family somewhere where he 1)can't find a decent job and 2) its not safe to pump your gas at night. The University is going to be one of the last chances for this town to positively influx the population. This area NEEDS good families (with a little money) to come here, contribute to the economy and possibly set up long term roots and create job opportunities. The city of Salisbury NEEDS to develop strong relations with the University, it could be one of our last chances to save this city, and the old-heads of the town need to understand its importance.
I know college kids are annoying. I know I had my share of dumb drunken nights when I was 20. But, its a phase you grow out of and these kids will become respectable members of the society. The University is something that should be embraced by this town. Its just funny in this town how people have a fit over a few loud parties and some empty beer cans, but when a law-abiding student is mugged at gunpoint and assaulted walking home from campus nobody seems to care.
Rob S
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