Wastewater from Ohio train derailment to be processed at Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant - WBAL TV Baltimore

Wastewater from Ohio train derailment could come to Maryland

Wastewater from Ohio train derailment could be processed at Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant
Share {copyShortcut} to copy Link copied! Updated: 3:38 PM EDT Mar 24, 2023 All right. Uh Good afternoon, everyone. Uh The city of Baltimore was lo lo notified by *** contractor Clean Harbors environmental services that they were selected to treat and discharge. Uh some waste water collected from the site near the Norfolk Southern train derailment here uh from Ohio here at the Back River treatment facility. Both of the county executive and I have grave concerns about the waste from this derailment coming into our facilities and being discharged into our system as such. Uh We will exercise additional caution due diligence and ask for additional testing uh before authorizing the discharge of any treated water from this event to the public wastewater collection system and the Back River uh treatment plant. We understand and know that EPA and MD *** chose the back water treatment plant because the plant can handle the pretreated waste water in it in good standing, but we remain deeply, deeply, deeply cautious about the impact to our system. We will continue to work with MD E and EPA to understand the risk associated with this waste water and to ensure uh protecting the residents of both Baltimore City and Baltimore County, which is our chief priority, Mr Executive. Yeah, thank you, Mr Mayor and uh thank you for joining us in Baltimore County today. Again, I just want to echo the mayor's comments that we are really committed to the safety and well being of our shared residents and all who are served by the wastewater system here in the Baltimore region. I want to thank the mayor and his team for bringing to our attention, the notification about the water that is set to come from East Palestine from the train derailment. I share and echo the mayor's concerns. We want to make sure that our residents have every confidence that if this is going to happen, it's done safely. And so our teams will be joining with the mayor's team to ensure that we are asking as many questions as we can pushing for the public to have as much information and for there to be appropriate oversight and testing should end or when such water is processed, there is *** company that would be doing pre treating prior to this water going into our waste water system. We really want to emphasize the importance of ensuring that before anything enters the public system, really having that oversight and testing of that work. So we look forward to working with the City Cities administration with Mayor Scott and his team. We'll do that here in Baltimore County. Uh will also be encouraging residents to contact MD E and EPA with this additional questions they have even as we share information as we receive it. So with that, I'll turn things back over to you all. If you have any questions, what's the timeline here? Those are, those are one of the questions that we asked. We were just, uh notified of this late. We got received *** letter late yesterday and we immediately, uh, this morning after everyone got it, start making the conversations and the phone calls necessary to find out what that timeline is. But more importantly, how we're gonna get the questions that we have answered as we go through that process. And that, well, that would, that would be the they, they have their own facilities. And those are the questions again that we're asking before it even gets to us here in Back River about even how it's going to get here. Because there's *** lot of, we have *** lot of concerns. We know that our residents will have *** lot of concerns and we understand again that they chose Back River because Back River is actually operating in good standing and can handle this and deals with this kind of stuff every day. But our responsibility is first and we understand that this is *** national uh incident and *** and *** tragedy. But our responsibility is first is to the residents of Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Are you worried about? Um Are you worried about that? It was the explosion again? Was it wasn't about didn't impact the operations. It was *** private contractor there. We know it can handle the they did their due diligence. That part is not the concern. Back River uh facility is not the concern here. The concern that we should be talking about. Uh two things, two fold should be one, we should be talking about the fact that Back River was chosen as *** place to do this because it's operating in good standing. But the real concern should be about uh why these uh things are coming here and what we're gonna, what's gonna be put in place to make sure that our residents are, are safe. *** letter. It was *** letter from the contractor. Yes. Well, what I, what I'll just say to, to that Paul is that, that, that is something that I've raised to, to the highest levels of the federal government about how we should have better communication around things like this. And, and we know that we, we can and will in the future. I'm sure that, that, that, that letter will suffice, will, will surface, make sure those are the questions that we're all asking. So we, we, we're asking the questions to make sure that the, the things are put in place just like you are. We're like, again, we just were notified about this last night. Uh We, it's *** significant amount. Uh But it's, it's, this is, we're one of multiple places around the country that is gonna be taking it on. Advertisement

Wastewater from Ohio train derailment could be processed at Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant
Wastewater collected from the Ohio train derailment site could be treated in Maryland, Baltimore City and Baltimore County officials announced Friday afternoon.Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the city received a letter late Thursday from contractor Clean Harbors Environmental and Industrial Services, stating that the company has been selected by the Environmental Protection Agency to treat and discharge the wastewater collected from rain water at the city-run Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant in Dundalk.| PDF: Read the letterClean Harbors wrote in its letter: "Clean Harbors proposes to begin receiving this wastewater immediately once approval is granted. The initial known quantity currently loaded in railcars is 675,000 gallons."This comes a month after a fiery train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said a company will pre-treat the wastewater before it arrives in Maryland. The officials said they have concerns about how the wastewater will get to Maryland and for the overall operation.Scott said he and Olszewski and officials have grave concerns about the waste from the derailment site coming to Maryland facilities and being discharged into the city's system."(We) have grave concerns about the waste from this derailment coming into our facilities and being discharged into our system," Scott said."We are really committed to the safety and well-being of our shared residents and all who are served by the wastewater system in the Baltimore region," Olszewski said. "We want to make sure that our residents have every confidence that if this is going to happen, it's done safely."He said additional testing will be performed before any discharging of treated wastewater into the public wastewater collection system is authorized. The mayor said the EPA and the Maryland Department of the Environment chose Back River because the plant can handle the pre-treated wastewater and is operating in good standing."We will continue to work with MDE and EPA to understand the risks associated with this wastewater and to ensure protecting the residents of both Baltimore City and Baltimore County, which is our chief priority," Scott said.The officials later released a joint statement, saying, in part: "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 treat and discharge the waste from the Norfolk Southern Railroad derailment at Back River."A timeline of when the wastewater could arrive in Maryland was not immediately known, the mayor said. Scott said Baltimore is one of multiple locations nationwide that could receive the wastewater.The Associated Press reported there were no injuries in the Feb. 3 derailment, but half of the almost 5,000 residents of East Palestine, Ohio, had to evacuate for days when responders intentionally burned toxic chemicals in some of the derailed cars to prevent an uncontrolled explosion, leaving residents with lingering health concerns.Video below: Fireball at train derailment site (WTAE) TOWSON, Md. —

Wastewater collected from the Ohio train derailment site could be treated in Maryland, Baltimore City and Baltimore County officials announced Friday afternoon.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the city received a letter late Thursday from contractor Clean Harbors Environmental and Industrial Services, stating that the company has been selected by the Environmental Protection Agency to treat and discharge the wastewater collected from rain water at the city-run Back River Waste Water Treatment Plant in Dundalk.

Clean Harbors wrote in its letter: "Clean Harbors proposes to begin receiving this wastewater immediately once approval is granted. The initial known quantity currently loaded in railcars is 675,000 gallons."

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said a company will pre-treat the wastewater before it arrives in Maryland. The officials said they have concerns about how the wastewater will get to Maryland and for the overall operation.

Scott said he and Olszewski and officials have grave concerns about the waste from the derailment site coming to Maryland facilities and being discharged into the city's system.

"(We) have grave concerns about the waste from this derailment coming into our facilities and being discharged into our system," Scott said.

"We are really committed to the safety and well-being of our shared residents and all who are served by the wastewater system in the Baltimore region," Olszewski said. "We want to make sure that our residents have every confidence that if this is going to happen, it's done safely."

He said additional testing will be performed before any discharging of treated wastewater into the public wastewater collection system is authorized.
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio.

The mayor said the EPA and the Maryland Department of the Environment chose Back River because the plant can handle the pre-treated wastewater and is operating in good standing.

"We will continue to work with MDE and EPA to understand the risks associated with this wastewater and to ensure protecting the residents of both Baltimore City and Baltimore County, which is our chief priority," Scott said.

The officials later released a joint statement, saying, in part: "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 treat and discharge the waste from the Norfolk Southern Railroad derailment at Back River."

A timeline of when the wastewater could arrive in Maryland was not immediately known, the mayor said. Scott said Baltimore is one of multiple locations nationwide that could receive the wastewater.

The Associated Press reported there were no injuries in the Feb. 3 derailment, but half of the almost 5,000 residents of East Palestine, Ohio, had to evacuate for days when responders intentionally burned toxic chemicals in some of the derailed cars to prevent an uncontrolled explosion, leaving residents with lingering health concerns.

Video below: Fireball at train derailment site(WTAE)