La Trappe Creek, and the unnamed tributary of same (UTLTC) into which Trappe’s WWTP discharges, is a disgrace. I would not let a stray dog go anywhere near that body of water. It is polluted, eutrophic, infected (what else does one call something full of harmful E. coli, and likely other, bacteria ?) and “impaired” per the Clean Water Act of 1972. It is a public health hazard.
What are the state and county doing about it? Nothing. In fact, they intend to permit more pollution to enter this impaired body of water by increasing the discharge of Trappe’s faulty wastewater plant.
This shameful situation is the result of decades of failure by both the county and state to follow the laws regarding the protection of our rivers.
At present, a majority of the county council voted to allow an increase in pollutants to this impaired body of water. This contravenes the policies set forth in the county’s water and sewer plan, just one of which states that the county is to, “continue to provide qualified management of water resources in order to control and diminish water pollution and to preserve the necessary quality standard of streams, estuaries, wetlands, and groundwater for residential, industrial, commercial, recreational, and conservational use”(emphasis added). Adding an additional load of polluting nutrients to an impaired water body is not consistent with the policies of the water and sewer plan. Of course, one would actually have to read the water and sewer plan to know this.
Some in county government choose to pass the buck to the MDE assuming that they are doing the job of protecting our rivers, and if the MDE says it’s OK then they’re off the hook. This is a demonstrably false assumption.
The MDE has known since at least 1998 that La Trappe Creek is grossly eutrophic. In Dec. 2002 they stated that the primary cause of the impairment of UTLTC is “likely the Trappe WWTP”. In 2003 a TMDL was adopted to clean up the creek. A TMDL is a prescription to fix an impaired water body by diminishing the amount of nutrients (nitrogen & phosphorus) entering the water. The terms of that EPA approved TMDL state that the MDE was to monitor progress of TMDL’s around the state on a rolling five year schedule. The TMDL states, “This continuing cycle ensures that within five years of establishing a TMDL, intensive follow up monitoring will be performed. Thus, the watershed cycling strategy establishes a TMDL evaluation process that assures accountability (emphases added)”
After nine weeks of bureaucratic ping pong with the recalcitrant MDE, I have now confirmed that the MDE has no data for UTLTC over at least the past five years. They have no idea what the present condition of UTLTC is regarding chlorophyll-a (a measure of algae) and dissolved oxygen, which are the two parameters they are supposed to be monitoring to see if the TMDL is working. By 2017, 60% of the TMDL’s goal was to have been achieved. The MDE didn’t even bother to check. Total success of the TMDL is supposed to be achieved in 2025. “Success” would mean that dissolved oxygen levels would always be above 5 mg./L. (per C.O.M.A.R.), and
chlorophyll-a less than 25 ug/L.
On the present course, this won’t happen. Of course, in order to know any of this someone would actually have to read the TMDL. Under Maryland law, the county council is the board of health for our county. They have
responsibility for the health of Talbot’s citizens. They are failing in this duty.
Under Maryland law, the MDE is tasked with the administration of environmental laws- including the Clean Water Act. The MDE was created in 1987 to, “protect and preserve the state’s air, water, and land resources and safeguard the environmental health of Maryland citizens.” It’s annual budget is about $170 million.
At present, both the county and the MDE intend to allow an increase in nutrients entering an impaired water body with a TMDL in place. This is counter to the Clean Water Act. If a developer wants to build 2,500 homes, make them build a state of the art wastewater plant up front. There is no such thing as a right to pollute.
Resolution 281 must be rescinded.
Thomas Hughes
Easton
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