Salisbury Sets Public Meeting on Lake Street Cleanup
Salisbury, MD - The City of Salisbury is moving forward with cleanup plans for a contaminated site on Lake Street in Salisbury, Maryland. The properties at 317 and 325 Lake Street have been labeled a brownfield by state and federal environmental agencies, the United States Environmental Protection Agencies (USEPA) and Maryland Department of the Environment.
That means the land has hazardous substances that need to be cleaned up before it can be reused.
The contamination comes from petroleum left behind by years of industrial use. Soil and groundwater on the site contain Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons, or TPH. These compounds can pose health risks, including links to cancer and respiratory problems.
The site has a long history. From the late 1930s until the mid-1980s, it operated as a fuel tank farm with 15 aboveground tanks and two underground tanks.
In 1990, an aboveground tank spilled about 12,000 gallons of fuel oil, and roughly 4,000 gallons made their way into the Wicomico River.
The property changed hands and uses several times over the following decades. The City of Salisbury bought both parcels in 2020. By 2023, all the old buildings on the site had been torn down to their foundations.
Now the city has a plan to make the land safe again. Crews will dig out two feet of contaminated soil and replace it with a soil cap. They'll then add eight inches of clean soil on top, making the site ready for new plantings.
The cleanup is backed by a major grant. The USEPA awarded the City of Salisbury just over $1.79 million to bring the property up to federal standards.
Community members will get a chance to weigh in on the project soon. The Department of Infrastructure and Development is hosting a public meeting to share updates and hear feedback. It's a good opportunity for neighbors to ask questions and stay informed about what's happening just down the road.
The meeting is set for Thursday, July 9th, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. It will be held at the Government Office Building, 125 N. Division Street, Room #306, in Salisbury.
