Controversy Surrounds Salisbury WWTP
By KEIRA BENSON
(SALISBURY, MD -- WMDT) 3/23/2009
Parts of the Salisbury City Wastewater Treatment Plant are supposed to be up and running by May first in order to meet a Maryland Department of the Environment deadline. But, according to an email sent by John Pick, the plant is far from meeting that deadline.
"That deadline is only five weeks away now. There is a serious question of whether or not we're going to be able to meet that based on the problems we've had," said City Councilwoman Debbie Campbell.
According to the email, the City has hired a specialist who, for roughly $20,000, says he can get things going. In a separate letter, the specialist says it sounds like the plant has been plagued with physical and mechanical problems since start-up. Campbell says that's not the message the public has received.
"The public message has been that we are on time and ready to go," said Campbell.
While the public may have been left out of the loop, it's unclear how much the council members knew.
"I can't discuss certain issues that have been disclosed in closed session," said Campbell.
On top of it all, Campbell says she's under the impression the wastewater treatment system the City is working on has not been installed anywhere else.
"A guinea pig. That's the impression I get," said Campbell.
Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman held a press conference on the issues at the plant Monday after she says information was leaked to the media. She says it was confidential because there could be litigation pending and she doesn't want to jeopardize it.
Tilghman says, "What we were doing was to try and get the consultant in here to give us a better idea of what was going on . . . brief the Council and the first week in April hopefully talk to the public about this."
City Councilwoman Terry Cohen, who says she did not release the information, says it was not marked confidential. The City has filed for an extension from MDE. They're hoping to push the May deadline back by a few months.
6 comments:
I knew about this Thursday night and I heard it again on Friday night and both times it came from employees of the waste water plant, not the blogs and not from Debbie or Terry.
I know someone who used to work at WWTP. He got out a couple of years ago and moved to another department. He didn't want anything to do with that mess out there, he saw it coming long ago.
So did John Jacobs.
Is the plant discharging untreated wastewater in the river???
if NOBODY at all told the public it wasn't running,,,,would that change ANYTHING? its NOT working regarless! so why is the mayor PISSED at anyone but herself?? where did she move here from anyway!
First week of April, right after the election!!!! The was this scumbag's plan all along.
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