Baltimore, MD -Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced today that a Wicomico County man has been convicted of installing an illegal septic system that allowed waste to flow into a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.
Charles Elzey, who also goes by the name Billy Ennis, was found guilty in Wicomico County Circuit Court of five counts of environmental violations related to the illegal work.
The case stemmed from a complaint lodged by tenants who moved into a Delmar home in 2013. In February 2013, the tenants contacted the owners, Marie and Darnell Marius of Delaware, to tell them that sewage was backing up into sinks and the bathtub, the toilet wouldn't flush and that strong odors were permeating the house.
The Mariuses hired Elzey, 65, of Salisbury, to address the problem. Elzey installed a discharge pipe from the failing sewer system into a wooded area of the backyard and onto a neighboring property. The waste eventually drained into Wood Creek, a tributary of the Wicomico River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay.
Darnell Marius testified during the trial that he hired Elzey, and did not obtain permits for the work. Elzey, who works for a sump pump company as a pump and hauler and was performing work on the Marius' property on the side, was not licensed to perform septic repairs. A tenant testified that she saw Elzey removing old septic lines and installing a new discharge pipe, which drained aboveground into the neighboring property. The tenants had previously told Wicomico County health officials, in connection with other charges relating to the case, that Marie Marius came to the property to monitor the work being done, as well as to provide payment for the installation. Marie Marius had been convicted earlier this year in connection with the matter.
Elzey was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, complete 25 hours of community service and was placed on two years of supervised probation, with a six-month suspended sentence.
The case was brought by the Office of the Attorney General Environmental Crimes Unit. Attorney General Frosh thanked Assistant Attorney General Michelle Barnes, as well as investigator Bill Schmidt and Wicomico County Health Department inspectors, for their work.
Not enough of a penalty. All of the taxes and fees we pay to restore the Bay and keep our water clean and idiots like this undo it. Community service should be in undoing what he and others like him have done. Give him a shovel.
ReplyDeleteDarnell Marius, landowner, set up this pump system and was never prosecuted. His wife took the blame.
ReplyDelete"Environmental Crimes Unit" wow 12:50 this is the way septic has been dealt with for years. now it is a crime and before you start chiming in on the Bay, we have spent billions on cleaning up the bay and every year it gets a failing grade
ReplyDeleteBut salisbury's WTP pumps raw sewage directly into the wicomico river....
ReplyDeletethere are so many rural homes that do this all the time.
ReplyDelete1:50 But, they can't fine themselves. They need OUR money.
ReplyDelete"Wood Creek, a tributary of the Wicomico River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay." LOL Wood creek is a ditch that might flow a little bit if it rains a lot a few times a year. It's a real stretch to say it flows into the Bay. There are far more polluters in the area including boats that discharge waste into the river rather than pump out and the big one being the WWTP.
ReplyDeleteA slap on the wrist! What if everyone was allowed to dump there s--t. They need to be punished severely. Condemn house until they fix it correctly.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteNot enough of a penalty. All of the taxes and fees we pay to restore the Bay and keep our water clean and idiots like this undo it. Community service should be in undoing what he and others like him have done. Give him a shovel.
April 6, 2015 at 12:50 PM
oh get a grip. small towns used to do this all the time when I was a kid. not sure if they still do or not but I would guess no.
they blowing smoke up your butt to get you worried about nonsense like this while industrial wastes are ignored.
I would rather have human waste, which is biodegradable, in water than man-made chemicals any day.
I guess some of you would faint if you ever came across an outhouse.
turn off the boob-tube propaganda machine and think for yourselves.
When a septic system fails, the home owner is hit with a BAT septic system upgrade(best available technology) They can run from 10,000 to 15,000 dollars. I certainly am not condoning what was done but many home owners just cannot afford to fork over that amount of money.Just saying...
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteWhen a septic system fails, the home owner is hit with a BAT septic system upgrade(best available technology) They can run from 10,000 to 15,000 dollars. I certainly am not condoning what was done but many home owners just cannot afford to fork over that amount of money.Just saying...
April 7, 2015 at 1:06 PM
I was quoted 22,000 for a new system. Needless to say we still have our old system. Who can afford these outrageous prices?