Wicomico Co. looks to ease removal of run-down poultry houses with new program
WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. – Run down chicken houses will soon start disappearing in Wicomico County, thanks to a new program. The county is looking for owners of chicken houses that have outlived their lifespan who want them removed. County officials say there are plenty of them in the area.
“Within the county, there’s approximately 490 farms. Poultry and eggs are about 48% of the farms that are in the area. The sales production is the second in the state, and the 34th in the United States,” said Heather Lankford, civil engineer for Wicomico County’s Public Works Division.
Tipping fees for demolition debris will be covered by funds from the County’s MS4 permit. The permit provides money to help reduce storm water pollution.
Lankford says starting the removal of those buildings will not only help farmers maintain their properties; it will also keep the county in line with the requirements of the MS4 permit.
“The goal of this program is to reduce the impervious area in our county by 20%, which is equivalent to approximately 603 acres,” said Lankford. “Some of these poultry buildings are very large, and are creating some discharge that we don’t really want to see. We want to change this impervious are to either a grassy area, grow crops, or into trees.”
Applications can be found by clicking here. The county says it’s looking for applications to be in with a soft deadline of May 2023.
