Salisbury to Convene Meeting over Lake Street Cleanup Progress

SALISBURY, Md. – The City of Salisbury Department of Infrastructure and Development will be holding a meeting next month to discuss the cleanup progress of 317 and 325 Lake Street.

These two parcels on Lake Street were designated as Brownfields by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Department of the Environment. A Brownfield is defined as property on which the expansion or redevelopment may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. 

In this case, the land in question is contaminated with petroleum, with Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) being the primary chemical of concern on the property. TPH compounds can be carcinogenic, lead to neurological disorders, and/or cause respiratory or reproductive issues.

These plots were contaminated when they were formally used as a fuel tank farm facility from the 1930s to the mid 1980s. At the time, the facility had 15 aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) and two underground storage tanks. The properties were then abandoned until 1990 when 317 Lake Street began operating as a waste oil processing facility. Later that year, an AST spilled approximately 12,000 gallons of No.6 fuel oil, with an estimated 4,000 gallons released into the Wicomico River.

By 1992, the facility was once again inactive. In 2008, the property owner at the time had all ASTs removed. The City of Salisbury went on to purchase the parcels in 2020, and had all standing structures demolished in 2023. The City was given $1,791,543 by the EPA to remediate the properties to the proper environmental standards.

In accordance with the Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives conducted on the site, it was decided to proceed with a soil cap. The City plans to excavate and remove two inches of contaminated soil, replace the contaminated soil with a two inch soil cap, and then place eight inches of clean soil to allow plantings.

The meeting to discuss the cleanup process will be held on Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Government Office Building in Room #306 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. A Haitian Creole interpreter will be present at the public meetings to assist with communication.