SALISBURY – Officials in Wicomico County voted this week to introduce legislation banning dissolved air flotation (DAF) storage tanks.
On Tuesday, the Wicomico County Council voted 5-2, with Council President John Cannon and Councilman Joe Holloway opposed, to introduce legislation banning open-top storage of liquid organic fertilizer or soil amendments.
The bill, one of three presented to the council on Tuesday, will now advance to a public hearing and possible vote on Oct. 4.
“From what we’ve seen tonight, it’s telling me Wicomico County is a terrible county to have DAF tank,” Councilman Bill McCain said. “We have a tremendous amount of tidal wetlands, nontidal wetlands, stream buffers … Anywhere you try to put one, you have to deal with these issues.”
The topic of DAF tanks was first introduced in 2019, when a building permit was issued to allow a local farmer to construct a multi-million-gallon DAF tank on Porter Mill Road. Several nearby residents and environmental advocacy groups, however, have since shared their concerns with the council regarding the smells and potential hazards associated with the tank. There has also been litigation in Wicomico County Circuit Court challenging the validity of that storage tank and the permit issued for its construction.
Put a lid on it.
If any one of these councilmen lived within the horrible smelling range of these tanks, you better believe they would not be allowed, but since it’s only some poor dirt farmers in the Mardela area, who the hell cares? That seems to be the way they feel. But………….NOT IN MY BACK YARD!!!
If Burns tank and its odor was in Holloway’s area he would be leading the charge to ban them.
If the property is zoned Agriculture, then it’s Agriculture, period. Lots of come heres want to change the culture of the Eastern Shore. If you don’t like the views and the smells, stay where you are, we are just fine without you.
BS…half the folks at the county meetings that are complaining are long time locals…they are tired of these elite industrial “farmers” claiming that toxic waste and a permanent landfill smell are just natural things about rural Maryland….go back to your mansion, Monty Burns…
8:58…..You must be Mr. Burns! Now, how did I figure that out?
Now that’s funny, it can’t be around Delmar, Salisbury, or Fruitland, But the hell with the rest of the County.
Notice Julie Giordano has taken no stance on the issue..even though we local farmers have told her what it will do our farm activities…….a true politician in the making….I guess she is too busy hanging out with Mike Dunn and the Woke downtown crowd…..
Burns had plenty of room to put that tank on his property at his home, but oh hell no!!!! He might be dumb, but he ain’t that dumb.