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Finance committee backs emergency funding to remove abandoned fuel tank after sinkhole on Fourth Street
Summary
The finance committee gave a favorable recommendation for emergency funding to remove an abandoned underground fuel tank discovered beneath a sinkhole on Fourth Street in Eastport; the Maryland Department of the Environment will be engaged and DPW said the site is blocked for safety.
The Annapolis Finance Committee on Wednesday recommended emergency funding so the Department of Public Works can remove an abandoned underground fuel tank uncovered by a sinkhole on Fourth Street in Eastport.
The recommendation authorizes DPW to hire an environmental team to determine the tank’s size, excavate it, coordinate with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Oil Control Program and certify whether fuel has leaked into the subsurface. "We have a sinkhole open up on Fourth Street in Eastport, and upon investigation, it was determined that it's actually an underground fuel tank that was abandoned," said Demayo of the Department of Public Works. "It currently has fuel residue in it, so we have to go through MDE's oil control program."
Why it matters: the hole sits in the public right of way in front of the Boatyard Grill at the Severn Avenue intersection; DPW said repeated rain events are causing the hole to fill with water and erode the road beneath, raising the risk of a larger collapse that could require full street closure. The committee voted unanimously to forward the emergency funding recommendation to the full council.
DPW said the opening is currently blocked off to prevent injuries and that crews will coordinate directly with adjacent businesses if removal work will affect operations. "We have the area blocked off with a cone there to prevent people from parking on top of it," Demayo said. "If we don't repair it soon, we could have more road loss that could continue to go toward full road closure."
DPW also said its environmental team, which has been working on related fuel-tank issues on Spa Road, already contacted an MDE inspector and begun coordination. The committee record did not specify the exact dollar amount requested for the emergency work; committee members asked for rapid MDE engagement and gave DPW authority to proceed with next steps under MDE oversight.
The committee’s action was a favorable recommendation to the council for item FT-15-25; the motion passed by voice vote with all members saying "aye."
