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July 26, 2000
Vol. 30, No. 229
For more information, contact Rodney Wyatt, Ground Water Discharges,
302-739-4761, or Melinda Carl, Information and Education, 302-739-4506
Order to Cease and Desist Served on Mobile Home Park
Owner
for Untreated Wastewater Violations
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control served
an Order to Cease and Desist yesterday on Ward Melson, owner of Concord
Mobile Home Park near Seaford.
The Cease and Desist Order, signed by Secretary Nicholas A. DiPasquale,
was served on Melson for allowing untreated wastewater to discharge
onto the surface of the ground without a permit, and for allowing untreated
wastewater to stand in trenches on property occupied by mobile home
residents.
Illegal discharges from mobile homes in the park, including untreated
wastewater pumped into open trenches and direct discharges of raw sewage
onto the ground, were observed during a site inspection on July 6, 2000.
DNREC staff had previously advised Melson how to correct sewage problems
in the mobile home park following complaints received Feb. 25, 2000
which resulted in charges for illegal modification of a septic system
and additional sewage violations.
On July 11, 2000, a DNREC environmental protection officer instructed
Melson to correct the sewage problems immediately and to discontinue
use of the modified systems at several lots. On July 18, 2000, Melson
was served with citations for 10 days of violations including the discharge
of wastewater without a permit and creating a public health hazard.
A July 19, 2000 on-site visit by DNREC staff verified that the modified
systems were still in use and that open trenches contained untreated
septage.
Melson does not have a permit nor has he applied for a permit to install
a septic system for mobile homes located on his property. By allowing
untreated wastewater to discharge onto the surface of the ground without
a permit from DNREC, Melson was in violation of Delaware’s Regulations
Governing the Design, Installation, and Operation of On-site Wastewater
Treatment and Disposal Systems. He also was found to be causing a human
health hazard in violation of Delaware law for allowing untreated wastewater
to stand in trenches on property occupied by mobile home residents.
Melson was ordered to complete the following:
- Correct all illegal modifications to the trailers in the park
that are discharging untreated wastewater.
- Hire a Class “F: licensed waste hauler to pump all open trenches
and septic tanks. Septic tanks are to be pumped by the hauler until
a septic system approved by DNREC is properly operating.
- Provide portable toilets for use by the residents and perform
immediate remediation to the affected areas of the park as prescribed
by DNREC for public health and safety reasons.
- Obtain all required permits for installation of a wastewater treatment
and disposal system and cease discharging any wastewater from the
mobile homes until a septic system is properly operating.
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Document no. 40-01/00/07/26
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