Source: The Aegis (Bel Air, MD), June 10, 2013
Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com
A small portion of the nearly 5,500 pounds of treated sewage sludge that spilled after a truck accident in northern Harford County late last week likely entered Deer Creek, according to state environmental officials.
Jay Apperson, a spokesman with the Maryland Department of the Environment, told The Aegis Monday that the amount spilled was about 10 percent of the load being carried by the private waste hauler, when the driver got into an accident on a bridge over Deer Creek.
The exact amount that spilled into the creek was not known Monday, Apperson said.
The accident took place on the Route 23 (Norrisville Road) bridge over the creek, near the intersection of Route 23 and Harford Creamery Road.
“We don’t anticipate any significant environmental impacts to the creek,” Apperson explained.
A representative of the Department of Natural Resources referred all inquiries to MDE. Deer Creek is a Maryland designated Maryland trout stream.
Apperson stressed most of the sludge was spilled on land, and MDE officials oversaw the cleanup by contractors hired by the waste-hauling firm as part of its emergency response plan, as well as Harford County Department of Public Works staffers. The agency is continuing its investigation of the spill.
He also stressed the material was not raw sewage, but treated biosolids from the Sod Run Wastewater Treatment Plant in southern Harford County.
A fact sheet posted on the department’s website stated sludge is one of the final products remaining after sewage is treated, that it is the “fine particles” left behind after treatment removes the organic material and “disease-causing organisms” are removed.
The sludge can then be applied on farms as nutrient-rich fertilizer, to help keep nutrient pollution out of the Chesapeake Bay. Contractors must obtain a state permit to perform the application.
The sludge was being transported to a property where the application was permitted, Apperson said.
William Wiseman, spokesman for the Harford County Health Department, said Monday no fish kills had been reported, and the creek has been cleared for recreational use.
No wells in the vicinity were affected, either, he said.
“There should likewise be no impact at all on the public drinking water system,” Wiseman said.
Details about the accident involving the truck were not immediately available from Maryland State Police.
Check back with http://www.exploreharford.com for updates.