I got family coming in this weekend for a great time on the boat. We keep our boat at the mouth of the Patapsco, do you all think it is best to stay out of water this weekend or should it be fine?
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4M gallon sewage spill shuts Patapsco at Linthicum
More than 4 million gallons of sewage spilled from a pumping station in Halethorpe into the Patapsco River starting Monday afternoon, prompting health warnings from Linthicum downstream.
Officials on the Baltimore County side of the river cautioned the public to avoid contact with the water from the Annapolis Road Bridge to the Chesapeake Bay for at least a week. Anne Arundel County posted a similar warning.
The spill happened over 12 hours starting at 5 p.m. Monday at the pumping station at 4612 Annapolis Road, Baltimore County officials said. Officials discovered that a log jammed in the system, causing an electrical outage at the pumping station.
"I don't know how a piece of wood gets in there," said Bill Clarke, a manager at Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management.
"I've seen kids stick ladders down manhole covers and people throw rocks in there. You can't eliminate vandalism or people messing it up."
David F. Fidler, a spokesman for the Baltimore County Department of Public Works, said clean-up options are limited.
"There is some ponding that didn't get into the river that will be pumped back in or will flow back into the plant naturally," said Mr. Fidler. "There will be some liming to neutralize the pollutant but there won't be much we can do beyond that."
Mr. Clarke said work crews already yesterday started putting up signs warning people against touching the water.
"It's foolish to stick your hands in natural waters. A lot of infections come from people having breaks in the skin and fishing or swimming," said Mr. Clarke. "People have to use their common sense."
The Patapsco forms the border between Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, flowing past Baltimore City, and parts of Brooklyn Park, Curtis Bay and Orchard Beach before reaching the bay at Fort Smallwood Park. With a heavily developed shoreline, including industrial sites and a Coast Guard yard, it is not a source of drinking water.
Mr. Fidler couldn't tell what the log was.
"I can't make heads or tails of the pictures," he said. "You would be completely amazed what people get into theses pumping stations. It's miraculous what people get down a manhole cover."
The amount of sewage was described by county officials as "significant."
"The Patapsco is a relatively slow-moving body of water. There are a lot of little pockets where stuff can accumulate," said Mr. Clarke.
"When the water is like that you need to be on your toes with regards to your personal hygiene."
Water samples will be conducted later in the week by the Baltimore County environmental department to monitor the contamination and determine when the ban on contact can be lifted.
"I doubt that it will be this week, but it could be very much diluted if there is a torrential rain. These conditions will probably persist for a while," said Mr. Clarke.
The department will update the situation on its Web site at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/agencies/environment.
The power outage was made worse by the timing: peak time for thesewage system. However, from the standpoint of bacteria the effect of the spill will last a short time, county officials said.
With regard to aquatic life the timing of the spill is not good. During the summer, the river is prone to algae blooms. When the algae dies, it saps the water of oxygen and leads to fish kills. Sewage, because of the nutrients in it, feeds algae growth tremendously.
Rain water runoff, while it can help flush the Patapsco, can also be a great contributor of nutrients to the river as well through fertilizer and other things in the watershed.
Mr. Fidler said this spill is the largest within the last six months to a year. There have been four other overflows in Baltimore County this year, but their total overflow equaled 30,000 gallons.
The capacity of this pumping station is about 60 million gallons per day and is slated to be completely rebuilt in order to increase its capacity. Construction is supposed to begin at the end of the year.
The station was built in 1976 and, according to Mr. Fidler, the system is aging.
"It will be expanded to four pumps. It can handle the flow coming into it without all the pumps online," said Mr. Fidler.
Nathan Lage