The residential subdivisions of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods were affected by the contamination of private wells in 2012 by the chemical trichloroethylene. It is unknown who dumped or used the chemical on the property before residential development started, but the MDE thought it came from the dumping of septic sludge. During 2012-2014, Wicomico County along with multiple different organizations worked to ensure safe drinking water for the residents affected.
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site background
The Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods water incident consisted of 350 acres of residential and agricultural land that was mostly bounded by the Morris Mill Pond and a portion of South Division Street to the west, Tony Tank Creek and a portion of Coulbourne Mill Road to the north, a portion of Route 13 and associated easements to the east, and Morris Prong to the south. These residential areas at the time of the incident had no access to municipal water or sewer services and relied on privately-owned potable wells (MDE Facts About, 2014).
The residential subdivisions of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods were developed in the 1980s and 1990s. Before the development of the residential areas, the site was primarily agricultural land interspersed with individual single-family homes and areas of unimproved land. During the decades of 1950s through the late 1970s, septage was disposed of on the agricultural land on the southeastern portion of the site. The disposal of septage was placed either in temporary linear trenches or spread across the surface of the farm fields for fertilizers. This dumping site is now where the subdivisions of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods residents reside. Using septage for fertilizer was stopped in the late 1970s because of changes made to state and local regulations on how to properly dispose of septage sewage. From the spreading of septage over the decades, the Maryland Department of the Environment believes that the chemical trichloroethylene, along with other chemicals like cis-1,2-dichloroethene, was first introduced to the subsurfaces beneath the areas of the contaminated site. They state that septic system cleaners and common degreasers were used during this time and they contained measurable amounts of trichloroethylene. From there, they believe that the chemicals migrated down from their original point of deposit and were captured in local potable wells (MDE, Facts About, 2014).
The Wicomico County Health Department started testing private wells in Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods residential areas after a homeowner hired a private company to test his well water in July 2012. The homeowner was concerned about his water quality because he was experiencing an unusual odor. The private company quickly gave back the results and stated that the resident shouldn't flush toilets, advised not to shower, or use water from faucets. Once the tests came back with high levels of trichloroethylene, the Wicomico County Health Department decided to sample four wells near his house. These four sampled houses came back with high levels of trichloroethylene as well and from there, officials decided to expand the testing zones to 1,000 feet around his home and tested the surrounding neighbors. The Maryland Department of the Environment sent letters to 250 homes that surrounded the place of origin asking to sample their private wells.
By the end of September 2012, the Wicomico County Health Department submitted the detected trichloroethylene cases to the Maryland Department of the Environment from all of the tested wells. Once the two organizations determined that the problem was more severe and included a large quantity of homes, the Maryland Department of the Environment reached out to the Environmental Protection Agency asking for them to become involved and assist in the investigation.
The amount of homes that were tested and came back positive for trichloroethylene had increased over the course of two years, from 2012-2014, as authorities expanded their zones and as more contaminated wells were discovered. By the end of the testing, 270 homes in the Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods subdivisions had tested positive for the chemical trichloroethylene in their private wells. However, not all homes tested for the same levels of the chemical, some having levels in the accepted drinking range, some only slightly over the limit, and others exceeding the limit in dangerous levels.
The residential subdivisions of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods were developed in the 1980s and 1990s. Before the development of the residential areas, the site was primarily agricultural land interspersed with individual single-family homes and areas of unimproved land. During the decades of 1950s through the late 1970s, septage was disposed of on the agricultural land on the southeastern portion of the site. The disposal of septage was placed either in temporary linear trenches or spread across the surface of the farm fields for fertilizers. This dumping site is now where the subdivisions of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods residents reside. Using septage for fertilizer was stopped in the late 1970s because of changes made to state and local regulations on how to properly dispose of septage sewage. From the spreading of septage over the decades, the Maryland Department of the Environment believes that the chemical trichloroethylene, along with other chemicals like cis-1,2-dichloroethene, was first introduced to the subsurfaces beneath the areas of the contaminated site. They state that septic system cleaners and common degreasers were used during this time and they contained measurable amounts of trichloroethylene. From there, they believe that the chemicals migrated down from their original point of deposit and were captured in local potable wells (MDE, Facts About, 2014).
The Wicomico County Health Department started testing private wells in Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods residential areas after a homeowner hired a private company to test his well water in July 2012. The homeowner was concerned about his water quality because he was experiencing an unusual odor. The private company quickly gave back the results and stated that the resident shouldn't flush toilets, advised not to shower, or use water from faucets. Once the tests came back with high levels of trichloroethylene, the Wicomico County Health Department decided to sample four wells near his house. These four sampled houses came back with high levels of trichloroethylene as well and from there, officials decided to expand the testing zones to 1,000 feet around his home and tested the surrounding neighbors. The Maryland Department of the Environment sent letters to 250 homes that surrounded the place of origin asking to sample their private wells.
By the end of September 2012, the Wicomico County Health Department submitted the detected trichloroethylene cases to the Maryland Department of the Environment from all of the tested wells. Once the two organizations determined that the problem was more severe and included a large quantity of homes, the Maryland Department of the Environment reached out to the Environmental Protection Agency asking for them to become involved and assist in the investigation.
The amount of homes that were tested and came back positive for trichloroethylene had increased over the course of two years, from 2012-2014, as authorities expanded their zones and as more contaminated wells were discovered. By the end of the testing, 270 homes in the Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods subdivisions had tested positive for the chemical trichloroethylene in their private wells. However, not all homes tested for the same levels of the chemical, some having levels in the accepted drinking range, some only slightly over the limit, and others exceeding the limit in dangerous levels.
environmental impacts
Trichloroethylene is a nonflammable, colorless liquid that is often used as a solvent to remove grease from metals but is also used in paint removers, varnishes, and adhesives. This chemical often has a sweet odor but burning taste when ingested. The chemical is not naturally found in the environment, but is often found in underground water supplies because of disposal, use, or manufacturing. Finding this chemical in private wells and water supplies is not as unusual as individuals may believe, because it is so widely used in companies and distribution. In large amounts of ingestion, trichloroethylene can cause cancer, nausea, liver damage, unconsciousness, heart damage, damage to lungs and the nervous system, coma, or death. In smaller amounts over a longer period of time, people can experience liver and kidney damage, a weakened immune system, and impaired fetal development in pregnant women. However, most of these symptoms may not show or be experienced for a long time, making it difficult to prepare and diagnose residents that have been exposed. All of this information can be accessed from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry as well as the Environmental Protection Agency.
From the Environmental Protection Agency’s website they state that the presence of TCE in indoor air may result from ambient air releases from industrial and commercial activities, vapor from tap water and household uses of TCE- containing consumer products. Residents can experience the effects of TCE in vapor form whenever water is moving, meaning running the shower or flushing the toilet can release TCE into the air that is then breathed in. Additionally, TCE in ground water may volatilize through soil and into indoor environments of overlying buildings in a process known as vapor intrusion. There is also the environmental impact and health impact from occupational exposure. Those workers that come into contact with the chemical risk higher chances of exposure and negative health effects. The occupational non-users also risk exposure by working in an area where the chemical is present but not directly handling the chemical.
For more information on TCE and its' impacts go to Plymouth Tube Co. sections Environmental and Community Impacts.
From the Environmental Protection Agency’s website they state that the presence of TCE in indoor air may result from ambient air releases from industrial and commercial activities, vapor from tap water and household uses of TCE- containing consumer products. Residents can experience the effects of TCE in vapor form whenever water is moving, meaning running the shower or flushing the toilet can release TCE into the air that is then breathed in. Additionally, TCE in ground water may volatilize through soil and into indoor environments of overlying buildings in a process known as vapor intrusion. There is also the environmental impact and health impact from occupational exposure. Those workers that come into contact with the chemical risk higher chances of exposure and negative health effects. The occupational non-users also risk exposure by working in an area where the chemical is present but not directly handling the chemical.
For more information on TCE and its' impacts go to Plymouth Tube Co. sections Environmental and Community Impacts.
community impacts
One of the residents that had been affected by the contamination of her private well was Arlene White. After her private well had been tested, it came back that the level of trichloroethylene was 29 parts per billion, although the maximum acceptable level of trichloroethylene in drinking water is 5 parts per billion. From the testing of her well, officials dropped off five cases of water for usage and offered her answers to her questions and concerns. White stated, “I don’t think it’s life-threatening at this point, but they don’t know how long it has been contaminated. I’ve been in that house for over 20 years,” (Jennifer Shutt, 2012).
Another resident that was affected by the contamination of his private well was Brian Bracken. When his test results came back, it showed that his private well had trichloroethylene levels of 550 parts per billion, compared to the maximum acceptable level of 5 parts per billion. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency hooked up a 1,500 gallon water tank next to his house that would allow him to access clean drinking water (Timothy Wheeler, 2012). The Environmental Protection Agency hooked up eight water tanks of 500 or 1,500 gallons to the houses with the highest contamination levels and the highest health risks. The Environmental Protection Agency also installed carbon filtration systems on 25 private wells for those with lower test levels. The installation of the tanks and carbon filters were covered by the federal Superfund program, which is in place to help clean up hazardous sites by the government when responsible parties cannot be found or held responsible.
what's been done?
The status of the Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods water incident as of March 2014, was that of the individual wells tested for trichloroethylene and other chemicals, 158 of the wells were routinely checked on a semi-annual basis. There were 40 wells that were serviced by a GAC treatment system due to high levels of contamination or high-risk property occupants. 18 residences received bottled water deliveries due to lower levels of contamination. Lastly, there were 32 residences that had measurable contamination levels that were detected below the 2.18 parts per billion action level for trichloroethylene.
As of September 2014, Wicomico County had received $5 million in funds from state agencies since the origin of the contamination in 2012. On top of this money, the County Council heard two resolutions that brought $1 million each from the urban service funds. When the County Council approved both of these resolutions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture refunded the $2 million that was put forward by the county. The project had also received another $3 million in grants from the Maryland Department of the Environment (Jennifer Shutt, 2014; Timothy Wheeler, 2014).
The President of the Fruitland City Council, Lee Outten, stated that Wicomico County had the responsibility of receiving the grants and building the necessary infrastructure for their residents to have access to water. Once the county had finished, the city of Fruitland took over the maintenance and inspections for the pipe systems and would install a second water tower to help with ensuring enough water for their residents.
As of September 2014, Wicomico County had received $5 million in funds from state agencies since the origin of the contamination in 2012. On top of this money, the County Council heard two resolutions that brought $1 million each from the urban service funds. When the County Council approved both of these resolutions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture refunded the $2 million that was put forward by the county. The project had also received another $3 million in grants from the Maryland Department of the Environment (Jennifer Shutt, 2014; Timothy Wheeler, 2014).
The President of the Fruitland City Council, Lee Outten, stated that Wicomico County had the responsibility of receiving the grants and building the necessary infrastructure for their residents to have access to water. Once the county had finished, the city of Fruitland took over the maintenance and inspections for the pipe systems and would install a second water tower to help with ensuring enough water for their residents.
solutions in action
As of July 1, 2013, the Maryland Department of the Environment was promising a $1.5 million grant that would help to address well testing and monitoring. However, this grant did not help with engineering and building the necessary pipes to allow the residents of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods to have access to clean drinking water (Jennifer Shutt, 2013).
As of October 15, 2013, the Wicomico County Council voted to ensure an urban service district around the neighborhoods of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods that were polluted with trichloroethylene. An urban service district helped to define the needed area in which a municipality would provide access to public goods and services like water and sewage. During the same meeting, residents of these neighborhoods were able to voice their concerns or support for a potential $8 million project that would help provide the community with clean and safe drinking water. The $8 million project would be split between $6 million in grants and $2 million in bonds from the state and federal government, and would be completed by March 2016. However, the residents of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods needed to come to the consensus of switching to Fruitland water systems because if one home didn’t connect to the new system, the county would have received zero grants from the state and federal government to help cover the costs. Another potential problem, if not everyone hooked up to the new system, is the change in pressure resulting in the spread of trichloroethylene. From a change in pressure, the Fruitland water system would have pushed out the old water from the contaminated wells to help bring in the new, clean city water. This pressure would have caused the contaminated water from the wells to travel to surrounding neighbor wells and mix the contaminated water with non-contaminated water. These surrounding neighbors would then have been exposed to contaminated TCE water when they were not exposed before, spreading the damages (Jennifer Shutt, 2013).
Under this project, the residents of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods were introduced into the Fruitland water system. Although the residents wouldn’t be annexed into the town of Fruitland, meaning they wouldn’t pay taxes or have the residency of Fruitland, they would have to pay almost 1.5 times the price for water compared to Fruitland residents. This increase in price for the Wicomico County residents happened because of the urban service agreement between the two counties. On top of this, the county also charged each resident $1,500 per house to cover costs for connecting and delivering water from the streets to each house. (Jennifer Shutt, 2013). Some residents believed this was not the most effective solution, or they refused to pay the extra costs because they didn’t reside in Fruitland. Although the residents had to pay a down payment for connecting their homes to the pipes and would have to pay more for water, these residents received the benefits of city water and services without having to pay taxes. Having all of the residents of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods connected to the Fruitland water system helped to bring the house prices back up to the market value. This meaning when the homeowners go to sell their homes in the future, they will have an easier time and not have to worry about the contaminated wells in their backyards.
Oral History with Katherine McAllister, a member of the Morris Mill Project (2022): https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:540974af-2917-4c21-ac38-1b11da66748a
evaluation
The community of Morris Mill and Coulbourne Woods are majority middle-class families who had the ability to quickly solve an environmental justice problem of contaminated well water. With one individual community member being able to have the resources to hire a private company to test his well water, the contamination of the wells was discovered. From this horrible event, the members of the developments were able to hold multiple meetings to talk about possible courses of action, had the ability to get the attention of the MDE and EPA to come out and conduct further tests, and have their city representatives raise enough funds to construct a new water system connecting them to the Fruitland water supply.
Compare this to other stories of environmental injustices but change the affected community to a low-income or minority community. Would the same actions and solutions have been presented in the same timely manner? The concept of environmental justice recognizes that we are all faced with different risks but some communities are targeted and affected in different ways.
Wealthy white communities are often able to have their environmental problems fixed in a timely manner because they have the resources and connections needed to bring change. Other communities, like low-income and minority communities, often do not have the resources or connections needed to bring change. These communities when faced with environmental issues are sometimes denied or pushed off when looking for solutions. Because of this, these communities then have to wait longer periods of time or take other courses of action, like protesting for months or showing up to their representative’s offices, to get the same attention that other communities get overnight.
The story of Morris Mill should not be diminished for its importance in bringing resources to the residents affected. This incident is a tragic story of residents being negatively affected by water contamination from past actions. However, it is a positive story of the residents finding a problem, having the resources to gain attention from different organizations, and bringing swift change. This story helps to show that those in charge did their jobs and treated these residents like human beings that were being affected by toxins. However, it is important to note that this treatment that the residents of Morris Mill received is not experienced by everyone, like the residents of Flint who had to wait 10 years to get the resources and attention they deserved. Understanding the institutional differences between communities is essential in bringing environmental justice and solutions to all communities affected no matter the demographics or problem at hand.
Compare this to other stories of environmental injustices but change the affected community to a low-income or minority community. Would the same actions and solutions have been presented in the same timely manner? The concept of environmental justice recognizes that we are all faced with different risks but some communities are targeted and affected in different ways.
Wealthy white communities are often able to have their environmental problems fixed in a timely manner because they have the resources and connections needed to bring change. Other communities, like low-income and minority communities, often do not have the resources or connections needed to bring change. These communities when faced with environmental issues are sometimes denied or pushed off when looking for solutions. Because of this, these communities then have to wait longer periods of time or take other courses of action, like protesting for months or showing up to their representative’s offices, to get the same attention that other communities get overnight.
The story of Morris Mill should not be diminished for its importance in bringing resources to the residents affected. This incident is a tragic story of residents being negatively affected by water contamination from past actions. However, it is a positive story of the residents finding a problem, having the resources to gain attention from different organizations, and bringing swift change. This story helps to show that those in charge did their jobs and treated these residents like human beings that were being affected by toxins. However, it is important to note that this treatment that the residents of Morris Mill received is not experienced by everyone, like the residents of Flint who had to wait 10 years to get the resources and attention they deserved. Understanding the institutional differences between communities is essential in bringing environmental justice and solutions to all communities affected no matter the demographics or problem at hand.
additional resources
- https://www.newspapers.com/image/111279040/?terms=public%20water%20solution%20sought&match=1
- https://www.newspapers.com/image/111170774/?terms=water%20solution%20in%20works&match=1
- https://www.newspapers.com/image/111663515/?terms=water%20jennifer%20shutt&match=1
- https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/LAND/MarylandBrownfieldVCP/Documents/Morris%20Mill.pdf
- https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/environment/bs-gr-salisbury-wells-20130119-story.html
- https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/environment/bs-gr-shore-wells-20140425-story.html
- https://www.newspapers.com/image/126962258/?terms=officials%20discuss%20tainted%20water&match=1
- https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/environment/bs-gr-salisbury-well-contamination-20121116-story.html