BALTIMORE — About 675,000 gallons of wastewater from the site of an Ohio train derailment will no longer be treated and discharged in Baltimore.
Clear Harbors Inc. reversed course on those plans Tuesday following fierce push back from state and local leaders.
The controversial proposal was first announced Friday.
Norfolk Southern, the company responsible for the February 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, initially contracted with Clean Harbors to treat the potentially toxic water collected at the crash site.
Clean Harbors in turn sought to have Baltimore's Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant dispose of the water afterwards.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency signed off on that plan, however backlash ensued.
Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, and others expressed grave concerns over the impact it would have on the environment.
The water is said to contain vinyl chloride which can be dangerous when released.
On Monday Baltimore City Council passed a resolution, requesting the EPA to rescind its approval.
Acting on advice from his legal department, Scott took it a step further and directed his Department of Public Works to deny Clean Harbors' request to discharge the water.
“Given the actions that Mayor Scott has taken in denying our request to discharge the East Palestine pretreated wastewater into the Baltimore City system, we will not be processing any of the wastewater from the EPA-regulated cleanup of the site in Ohio at our Baltimore plant," said Jim Buckley of Clean Harbors. "While we are confident that our Baltimore facility is safe to handle and process that waste, as we have made clear from the beginning of this process, we would only be moving forward with the approval of all federal, state and local regulators.”
Scott and others highlighted past issues at Back River and questioned whether they were best equipped to take on the task.
The hazmat situation created by the derailment led to neighborhood evacuations and the death of tens-of-thousands of fish.
Workers in Ohio who've been dealing with the cleanup process have also complained of migraines and nausea.
“The health and safety of Baltimore County residents and our waterways remains a top priority, which was why we supported efforts to prevent the discharge of treated materials into our shared sewer system and are encouraged that Clean Harbors has announced plans to identify alternative solutions to process this wastewater," said Olszewskin in response to Clean Harbors decision. "Our thoughts remain with the people East Palestine, Ohio who continue to feel the impacts of this incredible tragedy. We believe that this and other recent incidents at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant reinforce the importance of our ongoing efforts to modernize the Baltimore region’s water and wastewater utilities.”
