Talbot County, Maryland

01/22/2024

Category: Public Works

ST.MICHAELS, MD— On Saturday, January 20, 2024, at approximately 11:00 a.m., the Talbot County Sanitary District (Sanitary District) was contacted regarding a suspected discharge of sewage from a manhole on West Harbor Road  in St. Michaels, Maryland.

Personnel from the Sanitary District arrived on site shortly after the spill occurred and confirmed the discharge of approximately 50 gallons of raw sewage onto the surface of the ground with approximately 20 gallons entering St. Michaels Harbor.

Sanitary District staff immediately contacted CHT Excavating to assist with the cleaning of the sewer line and the Sanitary District tanker truck pumped out the manhole.  It was determined that the sewage backup was associated with grease. The Talbot County Sanitary District will review the grease management plans of the restaurants in the area to help minimize future overflows resulting from grease blockages.

The sewage discharge was reported to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 20, 2024.  Talbot County Department of Environmental Health was notified of the spill on Monday morning, January 22, 2024. 

Based on this determination, no imminent threat to the public health or the environment was found in association with the discharge.

If the public has any questions regarding the public health determination, they may contact Dave Russ, 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, they may contact Ray Clarke, County Engineer, at 410-770-8170.

sewage public works mde enivornmental health