Antietam Creek

A pump failure caused approximately 130,000 to 150,000 gallons of treated but not disinfected wastewater to be released from the Hagerstown Waste Water Treatment Plant into the Antietam Creek Thursday, according to the Washington County Health Department. Water contact, swimming and fishing should be avoided in the creek between the plant and Beaver Creek. For more information, contact the Washington County Health Department at 301-791-3270.

The Washington County Division of Public Works, Capital Projects Engineering Department, said Thursday that Lehmans Mill Road at Md. 60 -- Leitersburg Pike -- is scheduled to reopen to through traffic at 2 p.m. Friday, May 14. The road has been closed to allow the stream bank stabilization and roadway reconstruction project along Antietam Creek.

Leiters Mill Road at the bridge over Antietam Creek is to be closed effective Monday, according to the Washington County Division of Public Works Engineering and Construction.   The bridge will be closed to thru traffic from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for a project scheduled to be completed by the end of the week. A detour will be posted.

When C.A. Millburn saw the mother duck and from 15 to 25 ducklings trying to cross Edgewood Drive in the area of Hagerstown Commons on Wednesday at 11 a.m., he swung into action. Millburn, a reserve officer in the Maryland Natural Resources Police Reserve Officer program, said he stopped traffic in both directions. Then, he said, he began helping the ducklings, which were having trouble getting over a curb, make it to safety. Other motorists got out of their cars to help, said Millburn, who lives off Dual Highway.

The last Civil War soldier to witness the fighting at Burnside Bridge during the Battle of Antietam died nearly a century ago. But a 170-year-old eastern sycamore tree that abuts the north end of the stone bridge continues to thrive. Joe Calzarette, natural resources manager at Antietam National Battlefield, said the tree undoubtedly was hit by gunfire as thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers fought for control of the bridge on Sept. 17, 1862. “Boy, if it could talk,” Calzarette said of the tree, known as a witness tree because it was there at the time of the battle.

scottb@herald-mail.com A power outage caused by Wednesday's storm resulted in the flow of 18,000 to 175,000 gallons of wastewater that had not been disinfected into Antietam Creek, a City of Hagerstown official said Thursday. The sewage treatment plant off Frederick Street lost power at about 5:15 p.m. and regained power about an hour later, said Scott Shadrach, plant operations and maintenance supervisor. At the time the power went out, an average of 175,000 gallons per hour was flowing through the plant, he said.

julieg@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - The day after the City of Hagerstown's latest spill of partially treated sewage into Antietam Creek, Mayor William M. Breichner and three City Council members said fixing the situation is their top priority. Councilman Lewis Metzner wants citizens to know: "Money is not an issue. Overflows into Antietam Creek are not acceptable. " Up to 4 million gallons of wastewater that had not been disinfected were dumped into Antietam Creek on Friday after electrical equipment failed, city officials said.

Due to sewer system upgrades, the 1400 block of The Terrace between Northern Avenue and Country Club Road in Hagerstown will be closed to vehicular traffic for three weeks beginning today, according to city officials. Work on the sewer lines is being done as part of a $3.3 million project to replace sewer lines that were allowing ground water and storm water to seep into the system. At times the seepage overloaded the system and caused sewage to back up into some North End homes or forced the city to pump sewage into Hamilton Run, a stream leading to Antietam Creek.

Back to school Just one short week from Wednesday, it starts. Schools will be back in session Aug. 19, so I hope you're ready. Just a quick reminder: Please be careful when driving, as there will be many children at bus stops and walking to school. Find something fun to do this last week before routines take over and you find yourself wishing you had just a smidge more time to be carefree. Legion picnic Dixon-Troxell American Legion Post 211 is sending summer off with an old-fashioned picnic.

Washington County Soil Conservation District and Canaan Valley Institute are leading an effort to develop a watershed-based plan for Antietam Creek. The plan will address pollution from fecal coliform bacteria entering the creek from failing septic systems. A meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, at C.R. Semler Inc., 11664 Mapleville Road, Smithsburg. The workshop is free and dinner will be provided. To register, call 800-922-3601, ext. 252, by 4 p.m. Friday, June 17.