The county government is the local enforcement agency for sediment and storm water management regulations. James E. Slater Jr., county environmental services administrator, said Haines' complaint was resolved by a county inspector and a representative of the concrete subcontractor without the need for a stop-work order. Slater said the inspector halted plans to pump the water into the stream and directed the workers to build a pit lined with filter cloth to hold the water. The water had to be pumped out to allow pouring of a concrete foundation in an area below the ground-water table, Slater said. Soil and sediment residues in the water from the pit will be filtered out as the water percolates through the ground before reaching the stream, Slater said.
Sediment is harmful to fish and small aquatic animals.
Slater said the subcontractor's representatives were cooperative. The contractor, Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. of Baltimore, could not be reached for comment yesterday. The company's historic station at 66 E. Main St. was inadequate to house new equipment, and traffic tie-ups became a problem as engines and ambulances pulled onto Main Street. The volunteer firefighters hope to move into their new quarters in the fall. Haines was at the site at 6 a.m. yesterday.