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If you’ve noticed a strong molasses smell in Locust Point over the past week, it is connected to an overflow at a Westway Feed Products storage tank at 1075 Hull St.
From WMAR and according to a Maryland Department of the Environment inspection report:
An estimated 5,000 gallons of molasses entered the harbor. The overflow was caused by a Maillard reaction, inspectors wrote.
Sand berms were installed near the harbor to stop the flow of molasses, a boom was launched in the harbor to prevent any molasses from traveling further, vacuum trucks were observed on site siphoning up molasses to be hauled away, and a boat was observed entering the water to assess the molasses in the water.
The inspection report noted that dead fish or adverse aquatic impacts were not observed at the time.
Westway provided the following statement to SouthBMore.com:
On October 17, 2026, at approximately 2:30 a.m., a release of natural cane molasses was reported from a storage tank operated by Westway Feed Products.
The release was quickly contained, and the appropriate authorities were notified immediately. A remediation plan has been agreed upon with the authorities and recovery efforts are underway. Although odors may be noticeable during cleanup, air monitoring conducted during the incident detected no known hazards to the environment or surrounding community.
A storage tank along Hull St. has visible stains running down its side, and smoke or vapor can be seen coming from a vent pipe above it.
