Governor to wade in pollution as part of septic push
As prospects dim for an overhaul this year of the state's septic system laws, Gov. Martin O'Malley is trying a new approach: He's going in.
Aides to the Democratic governor announced today that O'Malley will wade into a polluted lake Wednesday on the Eastern Shore to highlight the ills of septic systems.
O'Malley has been pushing to curb septic pollution by banning such systems in new large-scale developments. But the leader of the House of Delegates committee considering his proposal suggested a study instead. Del. Maggie McIntosh, a Baltimore Democrat, said she was concerned that a ban would disproportionately affect counties where most housing is built with on-site sewage treatment.
The water works will take place Wednesday afternoon on Lake Bonnie in Goldsboro, where "high bacteria levels have been linked to failing septic systems," according to the adminsitration's release.
O'Malley spokesman Shaun Adamec says this is no toe-dip. He'll be donning fisherman-like waders and going "far enough to make the point."
In the release, the administration says 411,00 of the 426,000 septic systems in the state are on residential parcels. Goldsboro, it says, "has suffered from more than a decade with the problems of septic systems, and the town has endured water pollution and financial and legal difficulties as a result."
Categories: 2011 legislative session
Comments
So the Governor is going to wade in septic pollution. What's news about that?
Posted by: bilrux | March 7, 2011 4:57 PM
After reading the headline I assumed MOM had a meeting with Mike Miller and Michael Busch on his agenda for Wednesday.
Posted by: john | March 7, 2011 5:21 PM
Truly, this article is a put-on? Right? We know the governor is a piece of ___.
Posted by: didactic1 | March 7, 2011 6:02 PM
hope he stays in there for the duration of his term as governor
Posted by: jmm103 | March 7, 2011 6:14 PM
Typical grandstanding. Septic "pollution" is water except in severe cases of tank problems.
Posted by: SL | March 7, 2011 6:54 PM
and the purpose of doing this on the Eastern shore since most septic is on the Western shore?
Posted by: dr | March 7, 2011 7:41 PM
So . . . seems like Bilrux, didacti1, jmm103, SL and dr are all IN FAVOR of pollution. The undisputed fact is that septic systems are not effective for controlling the discharge of human waste into the Chesapeake Bay, regardless of which side of the bay they are located. But if a Democratic is opposed to to pollution . . . I guess there's a segment of the population that just has to be mindlessly in favor of it.
Posted by: Dundalk Owl | March 7, 2011 10:27 PM
Septic tanks don’t treat sewage, they only dissolves this waste so it can be discharged through the drainage field into groundwater and travels in the groundwater to where ever this water goes, often into open waters. The only advantage over dumping sewage on your lawn is that you do not have to deal with the smell. As far as nature is concerned, the later would be much better.
Posted by: Peter Maier | March 7, 2011 11:00 PM
He'll come out no dirtier than when he wades into the MD General Assembly
Posted by: charley | March 7, 2011 11:01 PM
Yeah, read the projected costs of cleaning up Lake Bonnie; a man-made lake that shouldn't have been put there in the 1st place. This is a groundwater table issue, not a result of septic design. If this is MOM's best example of how to spend millions of tax dollars, no wonder the State is in such sad shape. No responsible fiscal stewardship, none at all..........
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-03-14/features/bal-md.gr.goldsboro14mar14_1_septic-sewer-system-pollution
Posted by: MDR | March 8, 2011 3:15 AM
This is photo-op stinks.
Posted by: MikeM_inMd | March 8, 2011 7:04 AM
So even his own mouth piece admits this is purely a political stunt. If O'Malley is worried about the pollution in the lake he should not wade into it and pollute it further.
Posted by: chesepioc | March 8, 2011 7:50 AM
Here's a much more cost effective septic system, designed for high water table areas. This cost of this system vs the O'Malley plan would save the save millions. But that would make too much sense.
From the Univ. of Minnesota; proven high quality science and engineering, not politics: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/naturalresources/DD7571.html
Posted by: MDR | March 8, 2011 8:48 AM
Isn"t Lake Bonnie in Caroline Co. where it is allowed to dump chicken manure on the fields for fertilizer by the truckloads along with "TREATED HUMAN WASTE" from Baltimore.
Perhaps when O'Malley comes out of the water he will spread himself out on the fields also.
Posted by: A.K. WHEELER | March 9, 2011 11:51 AM