Hi All
In recent and some not so recent conversation spanning over two years with Mr. Edward M. Dexter, P.G., Administrator of the Solid Waste Program for the state of MD at MDE, it was made clear to myself that clean up of the site on West Road would involve only capping the site to stop chemicals from percolating into the Paleo Channel beneath the illegal dump site. So that you know, the Paleo Channel supplies about 80% of the drinking water in Salisbury.
By using such a method, our city is still being threatened by the chemicals in the ground. This clean up procedure is not only unacceptable to myself but neither is it acceptable to anyone I have spoken with about this issue.
Now is the time to voice our opinion about the clean up effort.
It would be greatly appreciated by all concerned if you could contact Mr. Dexter by phone and/or email and voice your opinion as to how you would like to see the site cleaned up. It is very unsettling to have a ticking time bomb underground threatening our health and economic well being by destroying all of Salisbury's drinking water supply.
FYI I personally witnessed the illegal dumping of construction chemicals and 55 gallon drums full of burnt motor oil and the like. It is still there, threatening all of us.
I gather from Mr. Dexter, and this is just a feeling, that if we back him by showing our concern, then he will dig his heels in and get the job done through classifying this site as a Federal EPA Super Fund clean up site. He does have funds available to his department to draw water from the monitoring wells that should come back with contaminants that will give proof positive that this site needs clean up immediately by some one now not later.
The MDE predicted that the contaminants would be in our drinking water by 2003. I hope we are not to late.
Please pass this email on to all you know any light up his phone with calls of concern.
Mr Dexter's contact info is as follows:
Edward M. Dexter, P.G., AdministratorSolid Waste ProgramMaryland Department of the Environment1800 Washington Blvd., Suite 605Baltimore MD 21230-1719
Phone (410) 537-3318 Facsimile (410) 537-3842 E-mail edexter@mde.state.md.us
This problem threatens all of our healths and economic futures.
6 comments:
I'm not sure who wrote this piece, but if you "personally witnessed the illegal dumping of construction chemicals and 55 gallon drums full of burnt motor oil and the like" why didn't you report it immediately to the appropriate authorities, take photos, contact the EPA ... anything. Then maybe, these chemicals would not be leaking into the groundwater now.
If it's going to be in our drinking water by 2003, it's already there.
There are still buried chemicals at the old Kopper's plant on the Wicomico River that everyone seems to forget about. It is 10 times worse than anything on West Road. For those who don't know it was a creosote plant. Very nasty stuff.
I do not understand why our elected officials are not dealing with this. For the last 7 years city council and mayor have allowed their citizens to be poisoned with toxic drinking water?
Drink beer not water and you are OK!
Don't call Ed Dexter. He is an honest man, but his hands are tied by the bureaucrats. Contact
Horacio Tablada, Director
Maryland Department of the Environment
Land Management Administration
1800 Washington Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21230-1718
410-537-3304
htablada@mde.state.md.us
OR
Shari T. Wilson. Secretary
Maryland Department of the Environment
Office of the Secretary
1800 Washington Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21230-1718
410 537-3084
stwilson@mde.state.md.us
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