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MARCOR Remediation Volunteers for Cleanup of the Middle River Shoreline
Joining in Baltimore Mayor’s Annual Fall Cleanup
10/21/2006–Baltimore, MD–Joining in Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley’s Annual Fall Cleanup, volunteers from MARCOR Remediation Inc., a nationwide environmental services contractor, scoured the shoreline of the Middle River Branch in Baltimore, looking for wayward plastic bags, tires, foam coffee cups, bottles, and floating wood.
Citizens and community-minded groups like those from MARCOR’s Baltimore office were helping the city in this year’s event, themed “Spirit of ’06 – Cooperation Knows No Boundaries.” MARCOR employees brought rakes, gloves, brooms, and other tools to remove debris that has cluttered the shoreline in the Middle River Branch of the Patapsco River. “We at MARCOR are more than happy to volunteer our time and effort towards such a worthy cause,” said Eddie Waskiewicz, project manager.
MARCOR Remediation Inc., headquartered in Hunt Valley, MD, is also under a contract with the Baltimore City Bureau of Solid Waste to clean up the mess along spillways and shorelines to restore the area’s natural beauty, help protect wildlife, and improve the general health and safety of the area.
To date, MARCOR crews have worked over a 14-week period, gathering approximately 5,517 bags of trash, 120 tires, 3,388 pieces of wood, 578 used hypodermic needles, and one refrigerator. “We also get to interact with wildlife while we worked,” Waskiewicz added. “We commonly see ducks, geese, cranes, fish, turtle, and beaver.”
MARCOR’s contract with Baltimore requires periodic cleanout of five stormwater spillways and removal of debris along a four-mile stretch of the Middle Branch section of the Patapsco River shoreline. In addition, the MARCOR workers routinely patrol approximately 1.5 square miles of open water to remove large pieces of trash. Any unusual or very large debris encountered is recorded in a logbook, as well as any wildlife sightings. Work is performed after every rainfall or as requested by the city’s contract administrator.
The work is performed manually along the shorelines as well as from two motorized Jon boats, with three environmental technicians in each. MARCOR’s workers wear protective suits and gloves, sturdy work shoes, hip boots, life vests, and safety glasses while performing the debris removal operations. Tools include rakes, pitchforks, crab nets, gripper tongs, and safe containers for needles and other “sharps.”
The debris is packed in sturdy plastic bags and deposited at predetermined points along the shoreline for pickup and disposal by the Bureau of Solid Waste trash collectors. The needle containers and any suspicious items that may be found are turned over the Baltimore City Health Dept.
MARCOR Remediation, a specialty contracting company founded in 1980 with a current staff of 700 and headquarters in Hunt Valley, MD, performs a full range of environmental services. These include industrial cleaning, asbestos and lead hazard abatement, mold remediation, plant/process decommissioning and demolition, soil and groundwater remediation, emergency spill response, gun range remediation, and storage tank management. Customers typically include industrial hygienists, commercial and industrial clients, government agencies, environmental consultants, real estate development and property management firms, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT), the hospitality industry, educational institutions, health care facilities, and others. Each of the company’s 16 offices is staffed with the necessary mix of senior technical management, regulatory compliance experts, and experienced HAZMAT labor force. For more information, go to www.marcor.com, send an e-mail to info@marcor.com or call 800-547-0128.
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