BALTIMORE — Chesapeake Utilities — which recently completed the installation of natural gas lines into Somerset County from the north ending in Westover — now has an application with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to bring natural gas from the south to serve Sysco Eastern Shore.

The plan is to place a natural gas storage tank at Clarke Avenue and Tilghman Street and extend a 2.3 mile long 8-inch diameter line across the Pocomoke River to Peach Orchard Road to benefit Sysco and other customers in the future.

The line will run 252 linear feet below the river and across 831 linear feet of vegetated tidal wetlands. The application before MDE’s Water and Science Administration states the boring will be at a minimum of 15 feet below the bottom surface of the Pocomoke River and be accomplished by horizontal directional drilling.

State and private wetlands, nontidal wetlands, and waterways permits and/or water quality certification will be required and the public has until May 1 to request a public hearing. Written comments are also being received for case number 202260166/22-WL-0074, write to Tidal Wetlands Division, Water and Science Administration, 1800 Washington Blvd., Baltimore, Md. 21230, or call 410-537-3571 for arrangements on seeing the file.

Handling the permitting is Mary Phipps-Dickerson, who may be contacted at Mary.Phipps-Dickerson@maryland.gov or 410-901-4033.