Baltimore County fire crews had to rescue some of their own out of the Patapsco River at Frederick and River roads, after a boat they were in capsized in the river. Six firefighters were rescued, including one stranded in a tree surrounded by water, according to Det. Cathleen Batton with the Baltimore County Police Department. Four firefighters were from the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Company Swiftwater Rescue Team and two were career firefighters from the Texas Station Swiftwater Rescue Team.
Safeguards to protect pumping stations from sewage overflow failed to prevent 12 stations from dumping into the Patapsco River, a public works official says.
Baltimore County’s 12 sewage pumping stations that overflowed this week had safeguards in place, but debris from Hurricane Irene prevented them from working, officials said. “Redundancy wasn’t enough,” said Baltimore County Public Works spokesman Dave Fidler. The overflow from a ruptured 54-inch pipe near the Patapsco Sewage Pumping Station in Baltimore Highlands, which started on Sunday, Aug. 28, is causing 16.5 million gallons a day to flow into the Patapsco River. Two pumping stations in Owings Mills also overflowed. Each of the 12 pumping stations that overflowed was either connected to two sources of electricity, had a generator on site or had a generator on call for the site. “The hurricane cut off the electricity, and in a number of…
Brandie Jefferson
9:32 am on Thursday, September 8, 2011
Here's the updated story, Val: patch.com/A-lNF4 more ›