County tests for toxic metals in wells

Health officials are testing eight wells in Gambrills after dangerous metals - aluminum, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, nickel and thallium - were found in a nearby residential well.

Until the test results come back in two weeks, residents along Summerfield Road are drinking bottled water provided by Constellation Energy, which operates a nearby coal ash fill site along with Reliable Contracting.

Routine testing at the coal ash site led to the testing of the nearby homes, said Kerry Topovski, county environmental health director.

"They had detected elevated levels of sulfate," she said. "Sulfate is one of the primary...