Salt of the earth not only at tavern
The Sun last Tuesday had an article about salt contamination of the ground water near the Manor Tavern ("Salty days near an end at Monkton restaurant," July 6).
I am familiar with this issue because I identified the problem at the Manor Tavern. The article was good, but should have been expanded to point out that there are many other properties in Baltimore and Harford counties where salt (chlorides) is a problem.
As a dealer of well-water pumps, I have all too many customers who have elevated chlorides -- we seem to find that problem in one or two new wells every month.
Levels range from about 150 parts per million (PPM) to, in one case, more than 1,000 PPM. Potable water should have no more than 150 PPM.
Chlorides (salt) give the water an unpleasant taste and make water much more corrosive to plumbing and other household systems. Also, salt contributes to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Most of the salt problems we have encountered have come from salting roads in winter, but occasionally we find homeowners who contaminate their own wells with salt from water softeners.
The worst of it is that salts are very stable compounds. They do not degrade into simpler substances and they are not easy to remove.
One way to deal with such problems that we often hear about would be using compounds other than sodium chloride salt (table salt) on the road. But there are problems with this alternative.
First, sodium chloride is the cheapest material. Second, any other salt (for example, calcium chloride or magnesium chloride) is just as corrosive and probably is not a food grade material.
And all salts (there are many) are very stable and persist forever.
It is high time we started to protect the valuable resource of ground (well) water against salt and fuel spills.
The water that comes from your well does not come from some magical place 100 miles away. It comes from the rain that falls in your immediate vicinity.
It is up to all of us to protect this natural resource against contamination.
Bruce H. Gallup Jr. Towson
'Old Liners' earned every bit of honor
Shame on Barry Rascovar for protesting Gov. Parris Glendening's selection of the "Maryland Line" as the theme for the state's commemorative quarter.
At the critical moment of the Battle of Long Island, greatly outnumbered and with those all around them retreating, the Maryland troops charged the British line in four successive attacks, successfully covering the retreat of Gen. George Washington and his army.
These 400 fine Revolutionary War patriots did nothing less than save the Continental Army from certain capture -- at a terrible cost of casualties to more than 50 percent of the unit.
To refer to this event as "an obscure, and largely forgotten, footnote in American history" shows an amazing lack knowledge of one of Maryland's proudest moments.
Other suggestions for the quarter's theme can be properly made, but none could possibly reflect a greater sense of honor or sacrifice than to recall this noble event.
Governor Glendening made the right call.
Joseph Merryman Coale III Ruxton
The writer is a trustee on the board of the Maryland Historical Trust.
The 29th Division of Maryland's National Guard traces its ancestry to the Marylanders who saved the American Revolution.
In the Battle of Long Island, General Washington's army was in an untenable position in Brooklyn (New York). The Maryland unit volunteered to hold the old line while Washington withdrew his army to establish a new battle line.
Marylanders saved the day. Out of appreciation, fellow soldiers acknowledged them as the "Old Liners."
I'm proud to be an "Old Liner." I'm proud of the many contributions and sacrifices our citizen soldiers have made for their country.
It would be ridiculous to commemorate our state with a beer commercial slogan, a whiskey drinkers motto or a steamed crab, as Barry Rascovar's column suggested.
Good for the governor for knowing and appreciating Maryland's history.
Henry P. Turner Baltimore
As a member of the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry, I am infuriated that Barry Rascovar was so dismissive of the phrase "The Old Line State" and what it represents (" 'Old line' not worth two bits (Opinion Commentary, July 3.) It represents what my predecessors fought and died for.
If not for the fact that those brave soldiers were willing to "buy with their blood an hour more precious than any other in the history of this nation," (in another of George Washington's "utterances") we might not be be celebrating independence at all.
The fact that Mr. Rascovar believes that Washington's dubbing Maryland the "Old Line State is obscure and largely forgotten" indicates to me that perhaps Mr. Rascovar should crack a book of Maryland history.
When celebrating our independence, Marylanders should feel proud of the contributions to freedom they have made since Mordecai Gist formed the Baltimore Cadets on Dec. 3, 1774.
Patrick A. Young Abingdon
Efficient route to green power
Most consumers think of green power as electricity produced from windmills or solar panels or hydroelectric plants ("Green electricity offers consumers non-polluting choice," June 27).
But let's be honest: How many wind farms or solar farms or new hydroelectric plants will be built in our state? None, I would argue.
This is because of Maryland's insufficient supply of winds and cloudless days and lack of rivers and dams. Even if some electricity were to come from such sources, in this state the amounts would be meaningless in the grand scheme of electric deregulation.
But, as The Sun's article suggested, consumers who want to be socially responsible and help reduce greenhouse gases are willing to pay a premium price for green forms of power.
One way to meet their desires is with technology that exists today that can dramatically improve the efficiency of producing electricity. Imagine doubling the power generated from the same amount of fuel.
It's called CHP or combined heat and power (commonly referred to as co-generation). The federal government deems this new approach important enough to have established a goal of doubling the number of CHP plants in the United States by 2010.
The approach would achieve the same outcome as using windmills or solar panels or hydroelectric plants. By improving efficiency of power plants, we'd reduce greenhouse gases and get green power without the premium price.
That's progress and it's available right here in Maryland. Co-generation has existed for many years but the electricity monopolies have given it limited application.
But soon we will have consumer choice for power and I urge all Marylanders -- especially legislative officials, the Public Service Commission and utilities -- to reward efficiency and include CHP in our concept of "green" power.
James J. Abromitis Baltimore
The writer is president of Trigen Energy.
Added thoughts on dredge Site 104
The Sun's article "Fish-wildlife agency sharply criticizes draft plan to dump spoil off Kent Island" (June 26) may have given the impression that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are in some sort of battle over the open water disposal of dredged material at Site 104. This is a misrepresentation.
The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act requires that federal agencies that construct, license or permit water resource development projects first consult with the service (and the National Marine Fisheries Service in some instances) and with the state fish and wildlife agency regarding a project's impact on fish and wildlife resources.
These resources must be weighed as strongly as other features of the project.
Under the Endangered Species Act, a federal agency responsible for water resources development projects also must consult with the service on the effects of the proposed project on listed species and their critical habitat.
I would like to elaborate on some of the reasons why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends avoiding the use of Site 104 for unconfined dredged material disposal.
The project may release up to 1.8 million pounds of nitrogen. Such nutrient and sediment loading adversely affect fish and wildlife by increasing algae in the water, which reduces light and, in turn, reduces bay grasses that are critical to good water quality and fish and shellfish habitat.
Alternative disposal options do exist. Poplar Island and Hart-Miller Island are or will be available for critical near-term dredged material disposal requirements. In the longer term, existing disposal facilities and federal lands along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal can be used. Upland disposal options on Aberdeen Proving Ground also have been discussed.
Dredged material can also be used for "beneficial uses" such as the restoration of Poplar Island.
Although the Draft Environmental Impact Statement characterized the sediments of site 104, very little information was provided on the levels of sediment-associated contaminants in the proposed dredged material.
Placement of dredged material at Site 104 will not raise the bay's bottom above the typical summer low-oxygen zone. Therefore, placement activities will not enhance habitat.
For these and other reasons, the service recommends that the corps reconsider the impact analysis and alternatives to this project. The service is willing to deal with the corps to resolve these concerns.
But we do not consider the disposal of the Port of Baltimore's dredged material a battle between two Federal agencies.
Instead, it is an opportunity for our two agencies to work together to find a solution that benefits the port, fish and wildlife, and the Chesapeake Bay.
John P. Wolflin Annapolis
The writer is field supervisor for the Chesapeake Bay Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Free the VIPs at Artscape
Artscape has long been one of the best things about Baltimore. It is a pleasure to hear the festival's variety of great music and to join the diverse crowds who come together to enjoy the literary, visual and performing arts.
Artscape always seems to embody Baltimore at its neighborly best.
Unfortunately, year after year, the experience has been diminished by the festival's elitist practice of separating festival-goers into two distinct groups: VIPs and individuals of lesser importance.
While viewing performances at the Decker Stage, the VIPs are unfairly compelled to sit in a confined area separated from the rest of the crowd by a metal fence.
This area is directly in front of the stage -- an area that would normally be occupied by enthusiastic revelers -- so the VIPs are subjected to scrutiny not only by the performers directly in front of them, but also by the happy sea of humanity at their backs.
Making matters worse, during daytime performances, the VIP group often consists of a dozen or fewer individuals in an area holding more than 200 chairs.
The existence of this exclusive area seems contrary to Artscape's effort to cultivate and celebrate our community -- and the culture that binds us all together.
And more than one performer has been heard to comment disapprovingly from the stage about the practice as they strain to connect with the distant unconfined portion of their audience, which has been pushed back onto the hillside beyond the VIP compound.
I propose that the Artscape organizers should set free the VIPs!
The rest of us will welcome them with open arms to join us at the celebration.
Together, I promise, we'll all have more fun.
Bruce Frederic Blackburn Baltimore
At BSAS, the good is growing
The Sun's two-part editorial on Baltimore's drug problem (June 27-28) painted a clear picture of why addiction and associated ills are probably the most serious problems facing Baltimore. An effective, coordinated response will require institutions and community leaders to work differently.
Addicts, police, public officials and others need a forum where they can air differences and develop shared goals and strategies to address drug addiction. Fortunately, the city has such a structure: the Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems Inc. (BSAS).
As an independent agency, BSAS has the authority and flexibility to develop a comprehensive system of care for drug-addicted city residents.
A similar model has guided Baltimore's public mental health system for the past 12 years.
During this time, Baltimore Mental Health Systems Inc. (BMHS) has established new services and improved cooperation among a diverse group of agencies that help the mentally ill.
Among BMHS's accomplishments have been the developing psychiatric crisis services, creating more than 500 affordable housing opportunities for the mentally ill and developing new services for homeless mentally ill individuals.
It has also worked with the Downtown Partnership to train safety guides and provide access to treatment for those in need; worked with the city's schools and Health Department to provide mental health clinicians in many city schools; and collaborated with the Commission of Aging to improve mental health services for the elderly.
BSAS can have a similar impact on the city. It will develop the goals that reflect priorities established by the Health Department, the courts and the schools. BSAS is unique in the country and can become a national model for managing substance abuse services.
Despite growing pains, BSAS may already be having a positive effect on the community. Statistics showed a significant reduction in homicides for the first first part of 1999; at the same time BSAS has expanded the city's drug treatment capacity.
Stephen T. Baron President
The writer is president of Baltimore Mental Health Systems Inc. and a board member of Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems Inc.
Pub Date: 7/10/99