clean Water Blog

The fight for clean water happens on many fronts.

Our clean water blog helps you discover how to best make your impact.

From environmental advocacy to community organizing to DIY solutions, our blog serves as a rich resource to equip you with what you need to keep your local watershed clean.

We have over 50 years of collective wisdom and direct experience as leaders in the fight to keep the Baltimore Watershed clean. And although our core focus is issues in Baltimore and Maryland, this clean water blog can serve watershed residents across the USA.

Stay informed on the latest lessons and updates on the road to creating cleaner waterways and a greener Baltimore!

PRESS RELEASE: Blue Water Baltimore Alerts MDE to Major Deficiencies at Baltimore’s Wastewater Treatment Plants

Our Clean Water Blog

Jack Boyson, wearing sunglasses and a hat steering a boat
Guest Post

Jack’s Journey to BWB

Our board members come from all backgrounds and walks of life, but they share a passion for preserving and restoring the health of our waterways. New board member Jack Boyson first worked with us a few years ago on a sewage overflow problem near Stony Run, and was willing to share the story. By Jack…

rows of trees and plants in a park
Herring Run Nursery

Herring Run Happenings

By Nursery Manager Rob Jenkins According to Punxsutawney Phil we are due for an early spring in 2024, and that suits us at the Nursery just fine! Spring is considered the time of new beginnings and transformation.  The changes we see range from the subtle, such as the swelling of the buds on trees, to…

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Law | Water Quality

BWB and CBF: Court Decision is a Loss For Clean Water

MARYLAND STORMWATER PERMITS CONTINUE TO FALL SHORT FOR BALTIMORE COMMUNITIES AND THE BAY’S RESILIENCY AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Yesterday’s decision by the Appellate Court of Maryland affirming Baltimore stormwater permits is a loss for clean water. The court’s response stems from a 2021 lawsuit and petition for judicial review brought by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF)…

a group of people holding protest signs in front of a building
Environmental Justice | Legislation | Media

Press Statement on Baltimore City DPW’s Sewer Consent Decree Annual Public Meeting

Advocates and Communities Demand Sewer Backup Assistance Program Expansion January 18, 2024 Contact: Well over $1 Billion of taxpayer money has been invested in underground pipe projects and improvements at the Back River and Patapsco wastewater treatment plants. Significant progress has been made. Yet rainfall and other conditions continue to overwhelm Baltimore’s sewer system and cause…

An aerial picture of the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant
Enforcement | Environmental Justice | Media

Environmental Groups Announce Landmark Agreement to Resolve Wastewater Treatment Plant Violations

Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant (Google Earth) Baltimore, MD – Blue Water Baltimore and its attorneys at the Chesapeake Legal Alliance announce today an agreement with Maryland Department of Environment and Baltimore City to address pollution violations at the state’s two largest Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs).  Working cooperatively with the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE),…

a manhole cover flowing over rocks into a river
Action Alert

Let the Science Speak: Update Baltimore County’s Water & Sewer Plan Today!

An underground network of sewer pipes runs alongside our local streams and carries raw sewage from our homes and businesses to wastewater treatment plants situated on the Patapsco and Back Rivers. In a perfect system, the sewage would go from point A to point B without ever seeing the light of day. But in many…

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Environmental Justice | Legislation | Media

Expand Sewage Backup Assistance

Environmental Regulators Order Baltimore City to Expand Sewage Assistance Program – Rain or Shine July 13, 2023 The Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Department of the Environment have ordered Baltimore City to expand a program that helps homeowners who have suffered a sewage backup due to problems in the city’s aging sewer pipes, fulfilling…

a map of the area where you can find all of the locations
Water Quality

Going Back to Back River

On Thursday, May 25th, twenty two community scientists collected water samples throughout Back River and beyond. Some were taken off of docks at homes, public boat launches, or by boat in Back River. These samples were brought to Blue Water Baltimore’s lab and processed in order to measure the levels of Enterococcus bacteria.  The Code of…

graphic that reads "Thank you for advocating for clean water and strong communities"
Legislation | Uncategorized

What Happened during MD’s 2023 Legislative Session?

After a whirlwind 90 days, Maryland’s 2023 Legislative Session ended on April 10th. Legislators considered over 2,000 bills this session and passed several priorities from the environmental community. Blue Water Baltimore weighed in on over 30 bills that impact environmental and community health in the watersheds where we work. Read on to learn more about…

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Law | Pollution | Press | Water Quality

BWB and CLA File Suit Against Fleischmann’s Vinegar for Violating Clean Water Laws

BLUE WATER BALTIMORE AND CHESAPEAKE LEGAL ALLIANCE FILE SUIT AGAINST FLEISCHMANN’S VINEGAR FOR VIOLATING CLEAN WATER LAWS Blue Water Baltimore, represented by the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, filed suit todayagainst Fleischmann’s Vinegar Company, Inc. and its parent company, Kerry, Inc., for unauthorized discharge of pollutants into the Jones Falls stream, a tributary to the Baltimore Harbor…

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Environmental Justice | Press

Baltimore’s Waterways Will Not Be a Dumping Ground for Toxic Contamination

Advocates push back against an EPA mandate to accept East Palestine, OH wastewater March 25, 2023 Baltimore, MD – Blue Water Baltimore, home of the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, rejects the mandate from the U.S. EPA that toxic contamination and carcinogens will pass through our City and flow into the Back River from an environmental disaster…

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