BALTIMORE — The Back River Water Treatment Plant has been the subject of much controversy.
There was an explosion last week that forced evacuations.
RELATED: Fiery Explosion reported at Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant in Dundalk
Permit violations and reports of sewage discharge had the plant under state control for nearly a year.
Now a new challenge, instead of taking criticism, they'll be taking on water.
"We understand and know that the EPA and MDA chose the back water treatment plant because the plant can handle their pretreated wastewater," said Mayor Brandon Scott.
The mayor and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski shared news that Clean Harbors Environmental Services will be moving contaminated water here from East Palestine Ohio, following that train derailment in February.
RELATED: Baltimore receiving 675k gallons of wastewater from Ohio train derailment
The explosion that followed, led to tons of soil being contaminated along with millions of gallons of water.
675,000 gallons of that water will end up here.
"We want to make sure that our residents have every confidence that if this is going to happen, it's done safely," said Olszewski.
Families still living in the Ohio town have concerns of their own and they voiced them at their 6th town hall meeting.
While the EPA says the water is safe to drink, some still have their doubts.
Jessica Conner lives about 500 feet from the train tracks.
Her family is still drinking bottled water.
"We want to stay, but only want to stay if it's safe and I think their area a lot of inconsistencies in the information given out by the EPA and the government agencies," Conner explained.
Here in Maryland, Scott and Olszewski are determined to make sure the process goes smoothly.
"Our teams will be joining with the mayor's team to ensure that we are asking many questions as we can pushing for the public to have as much information and for there to be appropriate oversight and testing," Olszewski added.
Baltimore County and City updated statement:
“The Baltimore City Department of Public Works was notified by Clean Harbors Environmental Services that the company has contracted with Norfolk Southern Railroad to accept, treat, and discharge the wastewater collected from rainwater, collected water, and stream water above and below the cleanup site of the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, OH that occurred on February 3, 2023. The facility is one of a number of facilities in locations around the country selected to process this material.
Both the City and the County teams have been in touch with the Governor’s office as well as with the EPA. State and federal officials have assured us they are confident in the facility’s ability to process this material. However, we have tasked our teams to do their due diligence to be certain that there is no risk to the health and safety or our residents and our environment. Additionally, we are seeking a legal opinion from the Attorney General’s Office regarding the City’s requirement to discharge the waste from the Norfolk Southern Railroad derailment.
We continue to learn more information and will share more information as updates become available.”
We want to know whether you feel comfortable with the Ohio wastewater being processed here. Let us know by voting in the poll below:
