Concern with the oil remediation proposal by UM Shore Regional Health submitted to Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), the town has sought financial assurances in case the process fails to protect the town water supply. As cited in earlier media, the cost of redrilling wells in another location, and drilling into deeper aquifers would be upwards of one million dollars.
“What we have now is that Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) intends to give the hospital a notice to proceed and once that notice is issued we (the Town) will only have a five day warning, “ stated Town Utilities Manager Robert Sipes during an update on the ongoing effort for the Town to get financial assurances if the oil remediation process fails to keep oil residue from reaching the town wells.
Sipes added that since the Town would only be given a five day notice if MDE issued a notice to proceed with the remediation process, the Town should consider its options, including the idea of an injunction.
He added that the town attorney believes that MDE might offer some kind of financial safety net but would not proved full coverage if the remediation process failed.
Estimates run as high as 80,000 gallons of coagulated heating oil still underground near the hospital.
Currently, no oil has reached any of the town’s drinking water wells.
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