Cleanup of Fly Ash Dumpsite Ordered

"Sure, the consent decree deals with Gambrills now, but who's going to pay for public water hookups when it spreads to Millersville or Crownsville?" said County Council member Jamie Benoit (D-Odenton). "It doesn't sound like the county and residents' interests were protected at all."

County Executive John R. Leopold (R) said he is frustrated, too.

The state Environment Department "has kept us out of the loop the whole way through," said Leopold, who added that his request to be included in the negotiations that led to the order was rejected.

Leopold proposed a ban on future fly ash dumpsites that the County Council approved last night as a one-year moratorium.

Although no illness has been proved to be caused by the contamination, county officials are pushing for a comprehensive health assessment to be conducted on affected residents. Leopold and others have also raised questions about the health effects of dust from fly ash, which state environmental officials said they are investigating.

Yesterday's order also requires that Constellation submit plans to the state for how it will clean up the groundwater and improve its contamination prevention features at the Gambrills site before it can resume dumping there.

For its part, the Environment Department has formed a panel to reexamine its fly ash disposal regulations.