BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A state inspection has found that thousands of gallons of molasses spilled into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor after a tank at Westway Feed Products began overflowing.
On Oct. 17, inspectors from the Maryland Department of the Environment visited Westway Feed Products at 1075 Hull St. following two complaints involving the release of molasses near the Patapsco River.
The first complaint came from site manager Matt Belstra, who reported that a tank underwent a chemical reaction after midnight and started to overflow by about 2 a.m.
The second complaint alleged that molasses spilled into the harbor and that the air nearby smelled sugary.
The site is less than 200 feet from the Patapsco River, which is protected for marine life, shellfish harvesting and recreation.
According to Paul Rutherford, vice president of operations for Miller Environmental, about 5,000 gallons of molasses entered the harbor.
The inspection confirmed that extremely hot, pressurized molasses was still spewing from the top of the 1-million-gallon tank during the visit.
Inspectors observed molasses on the ground around the north, south and east sides of the tank.
A sand berm was placed near the harbor to contain the flow and a boom was set in the water to prevent the molasses from spreading further. Crews with vacuum trucks worked to remove the molasses, while Miller Environmental sent a boat to assess the water’s condition.
No dead fish or immediate harm to aquatic life was reported during the inspection or by facility staff.
Inspectors also found no storm drain inlets beside the site on Hull Street, but one stormwater outfall pipe near the tank was isolated to reduce the risk of more molasses reaching the water.
Belstra told inspectors that the tank was about three-quarters full when the overflow started and estimated that 15,000 gallons of molasses left the tank.
Cleanup teams arrived around 5 a.m. and began transferring molasses to a larger storage tank to prevent further release. According to Belstra, the overflow was stopped by 5 p.m. Cleanup was expected to continue into the night and following day and no additional molasses was reported entering the harbor after the spill was contained.
State inspectors found Westway Feed Products in violation of state environmental laws for allowing molasses waste to be released directly into the water. They ordered the company to stop all unauthorized discharges immediately and to use approved methods to remove molasses from the ground and water.
The Department of the Environment warned that Westway Feed Products could face daily penalties if violations continued.
The Maryland Department of the Environment has closed the complaint cases and sent a copy of the inspection report to the site representatives.
This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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