The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issued a Notice of Violation today to the Donovan Smith Mobile Home Park, LLC in Lewes for ongoing violations of the state’s laws governing wastewater treatment and disposal systems. The manufactured home community’s onsite wastewater treatment system was found by DNREC to be out of compliance thus posing risks to public health and the environment. The surfacing wastewater poses public health exposure concerns and contributes to groundwater pollution. Routine monitoring of the onsite drinking water system shows that thus far the community drinking water wells have not been impacted by the ongoing wastewater compliance issues. With the NOV, DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin issued the following statement:

“This action follows several months of work to document the ongoing onsite wastewater treatment and disposal violations at the Donovan Smith Manufactured Home Community. It sets enforceable deadlines to fix the issue for residents in this community and push the improved sewer connection project forward, the first project under an important plan to address wastewater and drinking water issues in underserved communities throughout Delaware.”

DNREC has been working with the Department of Health and Social Services and the Delaware Housing Authority to develop a priority list for underserved communities that have water and wastewater issues. The project for Donovan Smith Manufactured Home Community aims to end water pollution at the site by eventually tying the community’s wastewater discharge into the city of Lewes central sewer system. The NOV documents ongoing noncompliance at the manufactured home community and establishes deadlines for Donovan Smith MHP, LLC to correct the problem and move forward on the sewer connection with financing from the underserved communities initiative administered by DNREC and DHSS.

To eliminate risks to public health and the environment, the NOV calls for interim actions including cordoning off areas where wastewater surfacing has occurred in the manufactured home community, and a mandatory pumping of the community septic system to mitigate further wastewater surfacing and groundwater pollution within the community while Donovan Smith moves toward the sewer connection working with the city of Lewes Board of Public Works.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Water manages and protects Delaware’s water resources. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a training webinar Tuesday, June 22 to provide guidance for the state’s Pharmaceutical Rule adopted in January 2021, addressing changes to management standards for hazardous waste pharmaceuticals, as well as changes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Final Rule P075 listing for nicotine waste.

The Pharmaceutical Rule intends to provide streamlined management standards for hazardous waste pharmaceuticals tailored to the health care sector, while protecting human health and the environment. While the training is directed at health care facilities who generate hazardous waste, the public also may attend.

The program will be presented by the DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances’ Compliance and Permitting section. Information about registering for the webinar can be found on the DNREC Events Calendar. The training webinar will be recorded and along with presentation materials, will be available on the DNREC website afterward.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn .

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has lifted a shelter-in-place directive that spanned a half-mile radius around the crash scene of this morning’s accident on Interstate-95 involving a trailer load of organic peroxide, which is considered a hazardous material. The order for the crash scene applied to the area around the intersection of I-95 and Airport Road, and was lifted in midafternoon as I-95 southbound reopened in the accident aftermath as the scene was being cleared.

DNREC Emergency Response and Prevention section began burning off the peroxide at the scene shortly after 1 p.m. The unified incident command determined that it was a safer option for emergency responders and the public than attempting to move the material. There are expected to be no lingering air quality impacts.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Order Extends One-Half Mile from Scene Near Airport Road

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control issued a shelter-in-place directive this afternoon for a half-mile radius around the crash scene of this morning’s accident on Interstate-95 involving a trailer load of organic peroxide, which is considered a hazardous material. The order for the crash scene applied to the area around the intersection of I-95 and Airport Road.

DNREC Emergency Response and Prevention Section began burning off the peroxide at the scene shortly after 1 p.m. so that it posed no further threat to public health or the environment.

I-95 remained closed in both directions while the DNREC Emergency Response and Prevention section worked with local agencies from New Castle County to clear the scene once the peroxide was burned off. Before the decision was made to thermally destroy the peroxide, DNREC Emergency Response and Prevention section had worked earlier with the local agencies, including the New Castle County fire service and decontamination unit ,to regain temperature control of the organic peroxide from this morning’s traffic accident that involved a pickup truck pulling the trailer bearing the peroxide colliding with a disabled vehicle on the roadway.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has issued a permit to the Diamond State Port Corporation (DSPC) to continue corrective actions at the former Chemours Edgemoor industrial facility in redeveloping it as a shipping container facility. The corrective actions are required under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), with authority for implementing the act delegated to the state of Delaware.

The plant site, located at 4600 Hay Road, Edgemoor, was sold by Chemours to the DSPC in 2017. The plant was demolished by Chemours prior to the sale, and all applicable permits were transferred to the DSPC. The permit issued today by DNREC is a renewal of the prior corrective action permit. It will require asphalt capping of most of the site; contaminated materials management plan during site construction; continued implementation of the post-closure care plan for closed surface impoundments; and establishment of an environmental covenant upon remedy completion.

The site and its associated titanium dioxide pigment production facility has been regulated under the Delaware Hazardous Waste Program throughout its recent operational history. The approximately 115-acre site comprises two parcels. The larger 112-acre parcel is bounded by the Delaware River to the east; by Interstate 495 and Hay Road to the west; by Fox Point State Park to the north and by industrial sites to the south. The much smaller 3-acre parcel is located across Hay Road from the larger parcel and the former facility’s main gate.

The new permit issued to the Diamond State Port Corp. will include the requirements for providing ongoing cap maintenance, environmental monitoring and financial assurance.
The actions required in the permit issued by DNREC today provides additional assurance for protecting human health and the environment during redevelopment of the site and its proposed use as a shipping container facility.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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