Md. Developer Sues Army, Alleging Water Pollution
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- A Frederick developer is suing the Army for alleged groundwater pollution on private property next to Fort Detrick.
The Frederick News-Post reports that Waverley View Investors LLC filed the civil lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. It seeks $37 million in damages, including $13 million in lost property value.
Fort Detrick spokesman Nick Minecci says a "preliminary, unverified" lab report indicates that chlorinated solvents were found on the Waverley property at levels above the federal drinking water standard.
The Army has acknowledged that the human carcinogen trichloroethylene was found in groundwater near a former Fort Detrick dump site as early as 1992.
Waverley had planned more than 700 home sites on the 93-acre parcel. The developer
says builders aren't interested in the property because of possible contamination.
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