Overflow Spews 20,000 Gallons Of Sewage Into Bel Air Creek
October 1, 2008
(Bel Air, MD – September 30, 2008) - - Harford County Public Works experienced a mechanical failure at one of its sewage pumping stations on Friday evening September 26, 2008 that resulted in a sewage overflow of approximately 15 to 20,000 gallons
The overflow took place at a manhole on the site of the Harford Estates Pumping Station at 711 Bernadette Drive in Bel Air, MD. The overflow started at approximately 6:40 p.m. and was controlled through emergency response and mechanical repairs by 7:50 p.m. The cause of the overflow is believed to have been a temporary condition where air became entrapped in the pumps causing the capacity to become greatly diminished.
The overflow occurred over a small grassy area and into a heavily wooded site near the tributary known as Bear Cabin Creek. Site crews cleaned up residual spillage at the site Friday evening plus posted the area with signs for the overflow notice and precautions.
Heavy rains Friday and into Saturday diluted and dispersed the overflow to the point where the environmental impact is considered very minimal.
Local and State Health and Environmental officials were contacted Friday evening. The County continues its investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident.
You WILL Get Wet On This Ride: Harford’s Last Creek Crossing Still Has A Home On Tabernacle Road
April 22, 2008
Unless you were born and raised in the area, spent some time in the Boy Scouts or like to burn away your weekends cruising the twisting back roads of Harford County, chances are you’ve never heard of Tabernacle Road. It’s really not much of a road - just a winding gravely path through the woods near the Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation - but if you’ve ever tried to traverse it you’re not likely to forget the experience.
Tabernacle Road holds the last public ford in Harford County. That is to say, in order to travel across the county roadway from one end to the other requires crossing a body of open water. Rather than channel the bubbling creek under the roadway or building a bridge over the small waterway, the county has instead allowed Tabernacle Road to plunge right through the meandering flow.
Like the Jericho Covered Bridge in Joppa, the Tabernacle Road ford is a throwback to bygone era and something of a local landmark that you won’t find marked on many maps. It’s also become a rite of passage for many a Harford County high-schooler to test their mettle (and metal too, I suppose) by crossing the ford during periods of high-water - with varying levels of success. But could the ford soon become a distant memory?
