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Animanialmanac OP t1_jdnb7h6 wrote

Reply to comment by megalomike in Update: Baltimore receiving 675k gallons of wastewater from Ohio train derailment by Animanialmanac

The treatment plant wasn’t operating correctly, they were dumping solid sewage matter into the river. The state said there were “systemic problems and failures at every level”. The state had to take over, it was so bad the state is still working on the fixes. The man who was in charge resigned from DPW a week ago, the next day there was explosion there. The Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Brew are doing a good job reporting the problems.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/environment/bs-md-back-river-mes-report-20220609-kadheruyindq5e2f3o4irsozhu-story.html

https://www.wypr.org/wypr-news/2022-09-22/maryland-lawmakers-peek-inside-the-troubled-back-river-wastewater-treatment-plant

https://www.dundalkeagle.com/news/local/mes-oversight-at-back-river-wastewater-treatment-plant-extended-through-april-30/article_24986302-b419-5592-8c31-1ed363770f6b.html

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megalomike t1_jdncbv9 wrote

The discharged water was missing nutrient targets but i hadnt heard about solid sewage, and the stories you linked dont say that either? People are acting like because this is from a derailed train it is somehow more dangerous than the millions of gallons of waste water treated by the state every day.

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jabbadarth t1_jdnsxlq wrote

It is more dangerous than the millions of gallons of waste water treated every day.

We don't treat vinyl chloride daily.

Doesn't mean we can't and might not mean we shouldn't but acting like this is the same as the water we always treat is way off the mark. This water is contaminated with a dangerous chemical that in enough quantities could drastically harm our waterways, wildlife and/or people.

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baller410610 t1_jdny475 wrote

This is a private plant that will treat the wastewater then discharge cleaned water into Baltimores sewer system. They do is everyday with all kinds of contaminated water.

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jabbadarth t1_jdnz848 wrote

Yeah its clean harbors. And as I said above I'm not flat out against this I just want assurances that what the city gets for treatment and release into the environment is something they can handle. We don't have a great track record, especially in recent years with massive issues that have already hurt our waterways. If we end up getting anything more than near potable water I have concerns with what we dump back out.

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megalomike t1_jdnuhdi wrote

And your line of thinking is what - the EPA doesnt know what the back river plant's capacities are and didnt check?

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jabbadarth t1_jdnvipz wrote

My line of thinking is that I want this process to be transparent and I want them to have backup plans in place.

If this were a few years ago I would, perhaps naively, be more laid back about it but based on the multitude of failures in our wastewater treatment over the last few years I have less trust in them to manage this process in a safe way.

I dont think the sky is falling and I assume that smarter people than me have a plan to get this done right but given our track record I want those plans made public and I want multiple experts in the field to back up those plans and our systems capabilities before we start dumping dangerous chemicals into our fragile ecosystem.

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megalomike t1_jdnwg3z wrote

I personally am tired of every karen on earth demanding that every element of society from school curricula to vaccine development to processing wastewater privilege their feelings. Theres a difference between wanting robust safety systems and demanding the passengers have an equal right to fly the plane.

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Animanialmanac OP t1_jdnelnj wrote

I don’t believe you’ve read the reports fully. The treatment plant isn’t operating the way it should. People are worried adding more waste will cause problems

>>The reports found plant employees exhibited an “open unwillingness to comply” and “bad behavior.

>> The MES team observed not just “open unwillingness to cooperate,” but also “animosity. . . between the maintenance and operation groups.” “Negative behaviors – ranging from sleeping on the job to verbal/physical altercations between employees – have been observed on both the supervisory and subordinate level,”

>> City staff were seen “washing personal vehicles during the workday and have admitted to receiving payment or free lunch for services provided,” according to the report by the quasi-public agency, assigned by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)

>> there have been daily illegal discharges of millions of gallons of partially treated human waste for more than a year into tributaries of the Bay.

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megalomike t1_jdneysb wrote

Again, this doesnt say feces were being dumped into the river. It says people washed their cars on the clock.

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Animanialmanac OP t1_jdnh0iz wrote

“Human waste” is feces, I’m sorry I don’t how to explain simpler for you. The reports have a lot of technical words that were difficult for me too, I work in healthcare so I had to look up some of the terms. Where the reports say millions of gallons of black solids and partially treated human waste was discharged into the tributaries it means feces dumped into the river where it leads to the bay.

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Animanialmanac OP t1_jdnh836 wrote

Also if you don’t live in the city or by the water this may not effect you so it wouldn’t make sense for you to write to the governor and delegates. My post is for people who live near the water in Baltimore and by the bay and don’t want this in the water.

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megalomike t1_jdniumq wrote

Incomplete treatment also means the nitrogen and phosphorus levels are too high, which is known to have happened.

What exactly are you scared will happen? Another train will derail?

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Animanialmanac OP t1_jdnrfdm wrote

I’m afraid more people will get ill, more property will be damaged and the city won’t take any responsibility or help people.

In my neighborhood the untreated sewage backs up into buildings, homes after rainstorms. The city only helps a small bit, that’s after multiple families from my neighborhood fought for help for years. I had my house fixed with grant money from the neighborhood group but I can’t sell for a fair price because two houses up is a vacant house. The city allows the sewage to sit in the vacant houses until it flows out the basement windows. I have concerns city leadership that allows this will allow other unexpected damages to people and our homes, our health.

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CorpCounsel t1_jdobrfi wrote

Yeah this is the part I keep coming back to - nobody asked where the waste water came from until it was a political issue.

Either the plant doesn’t work and we shouldn’t put anything in it, be it from Ohio or Baltimore or Mars, or the plant does work and we don’t need to worry about where the waste was collected.

I’m also enjoying how everyone is suddenly a waste water treatment expert.

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megalomike t1_jdogte3 wrote

I heard the word chemicals on tv! How can our so called leaders allow this to happen!!!

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