Friday, March 1, 2024

IMPORTANT MEETING

WET TO HOST DAF TOWN HALL

March 12, 2024
6:30 PM -8:30 PM
Wor-Wic Community College Auditorium
Or through ZOOM


Go to the Wicomico Environmental Trust webpage "DAF Hall Meeting" to find out more and to register for either in-person attendance or to get the Zoom attendance link. Questions for the live panel can be submitted ahead of time on WET's webpage as well. 

Please share this information with your family and friends. We hope to see you there!

And, if you're new to the Neighborhood Action Group, we invite you to watch WET's video "Gut Soup."

Working QR Code or use the link http://tinyurl.com/DAFTownHall 






Sunday, February 11, 2024


 UPDATE FEBRUARY 11, 2024

CLEAR CUT COMPLETE?

As I posted in November, the tank site was undergoing a clear cut. Now it appears to be complete and you can see the results. What once was a thick growth of oaks and pines is now a swampy mess. We hope the final result will be better than it is now.

February 2024









October 2020


Saturday, November 11, 2023

GOOD NEWS!

KENNEY RECEIVES ADVOCACY AWARD


Last night Lynette Kenney received the Mike Pretl Award for Environmental Advocacy from the Wicomico Environmental Trust (WET) during its annual dinner, awards, and silent auction banquet. Here is what WET had to say about Mrs. Kenney's contributions.

"Lynette Kenney is a wife, mother, grandmother, and activist. Her life experiences led her to form the Neighborhood Action Group (NAG). In 2019 NAG worked together to try to put a stop to a 3-million-gallon dissolved air flotation (DAF) storage tank that was built less than a quarter mile from her home. Though the group could not stop the tank's construction, they were able to highlight the effects DAF has on fields, local waterways, and the community. Through her efforts, a moratorium was passed to prevent future DAF tank construction in Wicomico County."

In her acceptance speech, Mrs. Kenney told the story of NAG's fight to restrict tank usage which eventually led to responsible regulation on DAF tanks and lagoons in Wicomico County. She ended by acknowledging other NAG members and told the audience that the fight is not over.




Lynette Kenney


UPDATE NOVEMBER 2023


QUIET AND THEN NO QUIET

It's been a somewhat quiet summer with little to post since the ban on most DAF storage was passed by the Wicomico County Council. However, NAG is still vigilant and still unhappy that the tank is near our homes. Soon the winter storage should start and most likely we will see more tank truck traffic and smell the putrid DAF as the tank fills.

The biggest visible change is the clear cutting of the land on which the tank sits. The corner of Porter Mill and Riggin roads is quite bare of trees, the tank is monumentally visible and its lights break the darkness of the night skies. Any filter between the nearby residents and tank-related activities is gone.

The before and after photos show the stark difference.





"Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving
fresh strength to our people." 
― Franklin D. Roosevelt


Friday, March 17, 2023

UPDATE

TANK LEAK COVERAGE

The leak that occured at the DAF tank on Porter Mill Road has made the news and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has published some reports concerning the leak. Without cloudying the information, I am posting links to WMDT, Channel 47's recent broadcasts and to the MDE's Compliance Inspections reports site.

WMDT March 8 initial coverage of spill.

WMDT March 9, 2023 update.

WMDT news cast that updated the news.

And here is the MDE reports site. To use this site, you must type in "Burns" into the site name and select "Wicomico" from the county list and then click on the "Filter" button. The inspection reports pertaining to the recent spill can be found on page 2 (click on page 2 at the bottom, right section of the page.) The reports are PDFs and the pictures are a DOCX and PDF files. Be sure to look at the pictures they really show how bad this spill is.

Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)

Friday, March 10, 2023

TANK LEAK COVERAGE

In case you did not see the local news coverage about the leak from the DAF tank on Porter Mill Road, here is the link to current WBOC story. (If you can't see it, then they may have taken it down.) We are waiting to receive an official report from the State on exactly how much was spilled and the result of water testing around the tank. I will post all news about this spill as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, here is what I saw this week.

I watched the cleanup as much as possible throughout the week and saw many vacuum trucks and dump trucks go up and down the road. Here you can see the large, white vacuum truck next to the tank. 



Here you see a Hazmat crew on the job. (Photo by MDE)











On Thursday I observed this truck carrying straw to the tank. 





NAG warned the County that a leak was a strong possibility and too risky considering the tank's proximity to wetlands. Almost everyone in the area is paying to have their water tested too. Here you can see the activity around the tank and the yellow hose (left) going into the wooded area.


Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Update Tank Leak

 The tank in Porter Mill Road developed a leak on Monday, March 6. The cleanup is still in process. For more information watch tonight's Channel 48 news at 5:30. More info on this blog tomorrow. 

Monday, February 27, 2023

OC Film Festival to Screen NAG video

NAG is pleased to announce that the DAF tank video, Gut Soup, will be part of the Ocean City Film Festival this year. The documentary is about the tank on Porter Mill Road and is by Andrew Harper and is produced by the Wicomico Environmental Trust.

Gut Soup will be shown at the Fox Gold Coast Theatre (11301 Coastal Highway, OC) as part of the "Maritime Life" documentaries. This group of films runs 9:30 AM -11:30 AM on Saturday, March 4. Passes must be purchased.

Use the link below to access the festival guide and program.
Ocean City Film Festival Film Guide


Saturday, January 14, 2023

NEW YEAR UPDATE

We at NAG wish our followers a Happy New Year! With that in mind, we happily start a new year with the enactment of Legislative Bill 2022-10 and an end to new DAF storage in our county. We still have some work to do.

The operation of the Porter Mill Road DAF tank has created some problem areas on the road around the tank’s driveway. NAG members took pictures of the area and contacted the County about the problem and the folks at the roads division quickly came out and worked on those areas. We certainly appreciate their attention to our needs. 

Unfortunately, the work that was performed probably won’t solve the road problem for long. It looks MUCH better, but sooner than later the work will need to be redone or done a different way.

It is unfair that the taxpayers will have to pay for this work but it is necessary. Look at the “BEFORE” pictures and you can see that the ruts and holes along the road are hazards, especially for this narrow lane with dirt shoulders. As we told the County Council the DAF tank location on PM is a multi-faceted problem and as long as it’s there, the problems will be too. 


BEFORE


AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER
 

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Legislative Bill 2022-10

Prohibition Bill Update

I am pleased to tell our supporters that the County Council voted 5 to 2 to support Legislative Bill 2022-10 that prohibits the permitting of DAF storage tanks in our county. To be more specific, it would prohibit an open, or partially open, structure used for the storage of agricultural product, by-product, soil amendment and/or DAF residuals. 

The bill also allows farmers or a farming business to temporarily store such liquid in a mobile, closed container for a limited time and in a restricted place.

This was the second reading of the bill when amendments could be offered. The Council’s legal advisor amended the original bill significantly and used some of the suggestions NAG offered at the September 20 Council meeting. And, after adoption of the legal advisor’s amendments, more amendments which NAG has been working on, were offered. Three of our four amendments were adopted. 

The bill is in a much better place than where it was at my last posting.

I would like to post this bill, but it is not yet ready for prime-time. It must be finalized and sent to the Council for signing. The Council has 60 days to sign it into law. Afterward, the County Executive has to either sign it, or veto it and send it back to the Council. I will keep my readers up on any news about this process as it becomes available to share.

I sincerely thank all the supporters who have attended the County Council meetings, contacted their Council Members on NAG’s behalf and donated to our group. You have helped to make Wicomico County a wonderful place to live.