Progress Updates Announced for Lake Street Brownfield Cleanup

Salisbury, MD - The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Maryland Department of the Environment have designated 317-325 Lake Street as a Brownfield site.

This designation applies to properties where redevelopment is complicated by the presence of hazardous substances. Soil and groundwater at this location are contaminated with petroleum.

Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) are the primary chemicals of concern. These compounds can cause neurological, respiratory, or reproductive issues. The USEPA awarded the City of Salisbury $1,791,543.00 to remediate the property to federal standards.

The parcels at 317 and 325 Lake Street operated as a fuel tank farm facility from the late 1930s to the mid-1980s. The site featured 15 aboveground storage tanks and two underground storage tanks.

Operations ceased until 1990, when 317 Lake Street became a waste oil processing facility. During that year, approximately 12,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil spilled from an aboveground tank.

An estimated 4,000 gallons of this oil were released into the Wicomico River. The site was inactive from 1992 until 2008, when the property owner removed all aboveground storage tanks.

The City of Salisbury purchased the parcels in 2020. All standing buildings were demolished to their foundations in 2023. An Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives was subsequently completed.

The chosen remediation method involves a soil mitigation cap. Two feet of contaminated soil will be excavated and removed. It will be replaced with a two-foot soil mitigation cap and topped with eight inches of clean soil to support future plantings.

The City of Salisbury Department of Infrastructure and Development will host a public meeting to discuss the cleanup progress. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

It will be held at the Government Office Building, located at 125 N. Division Street, Room #306, Salisbury, MD 21801. Attendees are encouraged to share their comments regarding the project.