Pollution

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.

With Washington County municipalities facing $1.1 billion in suggested upgrades for wastewater, stormwater and septic systems by 2025, Hagerstown Mayor Robert E. Bruchey had a incredulous reaction Tuesday to the city's projected $210 million share to help reduce pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay. “I applaud our governor for being so environmentally-friendly, but there is a price to be paid for that,” Bruchey said. “Being first in and making these laws that we have to abide by in the next 10 years is ridiculous.” In February, representatives from municipalities across the county got together to form a committee to identify ways each could reduce pollution, caused mainly by runoff into local streams, as a way to reach goals mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, PA. - A $2.24 million sales agreement for the site of a proposed ethanol plant in Franklin County moved a step closer to being finalized Monday, although the board of directors of the Letterkenny Industrial Development Authority asked for written assurances from Penn-Mar Ethanol that it will use state-of-the-art pollution control technology. The board voted 7-5 to terminate the sale agreement with the York, Pa., group backing the ethanol plant, but only so the language can be amended to state Penn-Mar will use the "best available control technology.

By TOM STUCKEY Associated Press Writer ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Legislation to make the unpopular treadmill automobile emissions test voluntary instead of mandatory won final approval in the House of Delegates Monday, handing Gov. Parris Glendening a tricky political problem. If Glendening signs the bill, he risks the loss of federal funds. If he vetoes it, he could anger voters who might retaliate when they go to the polls in next year's gubernatorial election. The governor declined to commit Monday.

About 20 area residents Tuesday night heard a litany of reasons why they should oppose a proposed incinerator in Frederick County that would turn garbage into energy. Members of the Boonsboro Recycling Task Force invited Ellis Burruss, the leader of WasteNot! Frederick, a loosely organized citizens group opposed to the incinerator project, to offer his views. Frederick County officials have been considering building the "waste-to-energy" incinerator since 2005, Burruss said. Officials in Carroll and Frederick counties have an agreement with the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority to develop the facility.

The Hancock Town Council followed the example of some other Washington County governments, voting Wednesday night to send a letter to the county's Watershed Implementation Plan Committee stating it cannot afford to spend $31 million to reduce water pollutants entering the Chesapeake Bay. “These numbers were just so astonishingly ridiculous,” Mayor Daniel Murphy said of the costs of reducing nitrogen and phosphorous pollution in the bay's watershed....

charlestown@herald-mail.com Charles Town, W.Va. - The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday approved its part of a regional plan to reduce ozone levels. The plan includes possible ways that ozone levels could be reduced, such as car pooling and requiring buses to be retrofitted after a certain period so pollutants can be minimized, said Jefferson County Commissioner James G. Knode. The two pollution reduction proposals were one of many on a list, Knode said. "It's not a commitment to do any of them," Knode said.

katec@herald-mail.com Air. It's the invisible mixture of gases that surrounds the earth. It's what people breathe, but it can get dirty and cause health problems. Eye irritation, headaches, dizziness are among immediate effects. Others, including respiratory and heart disease and cancer, might not show up until years later. The results of a recent study published in the Sept. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that exposure to air pollution can adversely affect growth of lung function in 10- to 18-year-olds.

By LAURA ERNDE Staff Writer The Tri-State area's watershed has no serious problems and is not especially vulnerable to pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. But in its first national assessment of regional water quality, the agency did say the watershed has lost a high number of wetlands and is prone to contamination from farmland runoff. More than 2,700 miles of rivers and streams in a four-state area make up the Conococheague-Opequon watershed, or drainage area.

There has been a lot of talk lately about renewable, clean energy sources, and about oil in particular. I've been very interested in learning what presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain think about the future of America's energy. So far, I haven't heard enough about the environment, though. Maybe in the last debate they will touch on it; the candidates are scheduled to discuss domestic and economic policy. In the meantime, I ran across this article in a newsletter sent out by Tim Abe with the Washington County Public Schools' Fairview Outdoor School Center.

Washington County's share of a statewide plan to reduce nutrient and sediment discharges to the Chesapeake Bay is estimated to cost the county $1.1 billion through 2025. That number was greeted with ridicule and disbelief when it was mentioned last year. The Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly is working with state and local officials to better understand the situation, and, if possible, mitigate some of the costs. Robert Summers, secretary of the Maryland Department of Environment, met with local legislators and county officials Wednesday in Annapolis.

Washington County lawmakers were briefed Wednesday on a plan to lessen nutrient discharges to the Chesapeake Bay. The targeted reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus discharges and sediments is expected to cost the county $1.1 billion through 2025, which is the date suggested by the Maryland Department of Environment for meeting the reduced levels. The nutrient reduction target amounts are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Washington County delegation meeting was attended by Robert Summers, secretary of the Maryland Department of Environment, Greg Murray, the county administrator, and Julie Pippel, director of Washington County's Division of Environmental Management.

Western Maryland legislators were briefed on a state plan to reduce the amount of pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay by Robert Summers, secretary of the Maryland Department of Environment, at a delegation meeting Thursday. “2025 is the deadline … as the point where we have to have in place the different pollution control measures that allow the Bay and all its tributaries to meet water quality standards which are required,” Summers said. Del. Andrew A. Serafini, R-Washington, Del. Neil C. Parrott, R-Washington, Sen. Ronald N. Young, D-Frederick/Washington, and Del. LeRoy Myers, R-Allegany/Washington, were the local lawmakers at the meeting.

Little things mean a lot, especially when it comes to helping the environment. Individuals have the power to make a difference environmentally - and it doesn't have to be difficult, expensive or time-consuming. That's a big part of the message behind Pollution Prevention Week, which kicks off today and runs through Sunday, according to Region 9 Clean Air Connection Program Coordinator Jenni Vincent. “It's an exciting time because state environmental officials tell us that no other community in West Virginia has observed this national week before, but lots of folks in Berkeley and Jefferson counties have really gotten behind making citizens aware of this important message,” Vincent said.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners is trying to figure out how and if the county should participate in a new state law on septic systems. The Sustainable Growth and Agricultural Preservation Act of 2012 was passed to try to keep pollution from the Chesapeake Bay through tighter land controls. The centerpiece is a four-tier system with different restrictions on sewer and septic use depending on the land. Commissioners criticized the law on Tuesday, but admitted they have little choice - “other than putting diapers on cows,” County Administrator Gregory B. Murray joked.

Boonsboro Town Council members Monday night decided to join the town of Williamsport in organizing an all-day rock concert at Williamsport's River Bottom Park to help raise money for a Chesapeake Bay protection program. Counties and municipalities across the state are trying to figure out how to pay for a new state Watershed Implementation Plan, or WIP, to help protect the Chesapeake Bay by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus discharges. The plan is expected to cost Washington County and its municipalities $1.1 billion in the next 13 years in stormwater, wastewater and septic measures.

The Hancock Town Council followed the example of some other Washington County governments, voting Wednesday night to send a letter to the county's Watershed Implementation Plan Committee stating it cannot afford to spend $31 million to reduce water pollutants entering the Chesapeake Bay. “These numbers were just so astonishingly ridiculous,” Mayor Daniel Murphy said of the costs of reducing nitrogen and phosphorous pollution in the bay's watershed....

With Washington County municipalities facing $1.1 billion in suggested upgrades for wastewater, stormwater and septic systems by 2025, Hagerstown Mayor Robert E. Bruchey had a incredulous reaction Tuesday to the city's projected $210 million share to help reduce pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay. “I applaud our governor for being so environmentally-friendly, but there is a price to be paid for that,” Bruchey said. “Being first in and making these laws that we have to abide by in the next 10 years is ridiculous.” In February, representatives from municipalities across the county got together to form a committee to identify ways each could reduce pollution, caused mainly by runoff into local streams, as a way to reach goals mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan.

“I'm watching politics this morning on TV, and reading the paper. It started out, the stimulus money was supposed - for housing, was going to fix all the housing problems in this country. Instead, President Obama used the money for everything but that. He give it to the automobile industry, billions, gave it anybody who wanted it.” - Hagerstown “In May 2008, this paper, in a front-page article, reported that Mayor Bruchey and Councilman Lewis Metzner promised to 'take a stand' on dealing with the old mill plant.

A settlement has been proposed to resolve water pollution violations at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College's new campus, the state Department of Environmental Protection said Thursday. A $9,910 civil administrative penalty would be assessed by the department as part of the final settlement, which is subject to public comments the state receives by March 25, according to a notice from the agency. John Harris of Bastian & Harris Architects said Thursday the firm does not take exception to the proposed settlement, which would resolve violations of the West Virginia Water Pollution Control Act that occurred last year.