Talbot County, Maryland

03/27/2025

Category: Public Works

On Tuesday March 25, 2025, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Talbot County Sanitary District personnel discovered a sewage spill at 7664 Blueberry Acres Road while performing routine work related to potential new sewer connections. The spill was observed as sewage surfacing through the curb valve.

Sanitary District staff promptly took action to isolate the affected section of the sewer force main by 1:30 p.m. and stopped the flow.   Schummer Inc., the contractor responsible for the original installation of the sewer force main and laterals, was mobilized to excavate and assess the source of the leak.  It was determined that a sewer lateral had been inadvertently damaged in September 2024 during a repair to an electric line owned by Choptank Electric.  The damage to the sewer lateral, initially installed and tested in August 2024, was a small hole approximately 1mm in diameter.

Repairs to the damaged lateral will be completed by Schummer Inc.  The parts necessary to complete the repairs have been ordered and the impacted section of the force main will remain isolated until the repair is completed.  Personnel from the Talbot County Sanitary District applied lime to stabilize the impacted area.  There are no active sewer connections on this portion of the force main. 

The Office of Environmental Health conducted an inspection which indicated that the sewage remained contained within the immediate spill area and did not reach navigable waters or shellfish harvesting waters of the State of Maryland.

If the public has any questions regarding the public health determination they may contact Brennan Greene, Director of Environmental Health, at 410-770-6880 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If the public has questions regarding the discharge or the corrective action that was taken, contact Ray Clarke, County Engineer, at 410-770-8170.

sewage spill public works public notice environmental health