I’m here to face the music on what happened,” declared Chesapeake Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Jon Castro. Instead of being berated during the Dec. 19 meeting of the Chesapeake Beach Town Council, Castro received praise and applause for the facility’s normally routine operation.
The incident Castro was referencing occurred Wednesday, Nov. 27 when 60,000 gallons of partially treated effluent was discharged into the Chesapeake Bay through the plant’s discharge pipe. Castro and his staff quickly notified the Calvert County Health Department and Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) about the spill, which occurred in the early morning hours during a heavy rainstorm.
It was the first such spill since the Town of Chesapeake Beach took over operations of the plant. The event also occurred in the midst of a major construction project at the facility.
“All MDE SSO [sanitary sewer overflow] protocols were followed and additional tests were taken at the plant,” Castro stated in his December report. “The tests showed that only one parameter was over its permit limit but only a few parts per million. The plant staff took all steps to contain the solids loss but due to a heavy rain storm at peak morning flow pushed the number 2 clarifier to its limit.”
The plant’s enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) project has been underway since June.
Councilman Robert Carpenter noted it took “the perfect storm” to end the long streak Castro and the plant crew had going.
In response to a question from Councilman Jeff Krahling, Castro reported the town has not been fined yet by state officials regarding the incident. The plant superintendent said he believed MDE officials “will be lenient” when taking any punitive action due to the ENR project.
That project is being done by Bearing Construction. Castro indicated the project appears to be right on schedule.
In other meeting highlights:
Mayor Bruce Wahl announced that in 2014 the monthly town council meetings would begin at 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. Any public hearings scheduled prior to the business meeting would begin at 7 p.m.
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