Sewage backups and overflows in Baltimore have been a major concern for years. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this issue that much more apparent. Many residents who experience backups can’t afford the up-front cost of cleanup and disinfection, so they do the job themselves. But we know that COVID-19 – or SARS-CoV-2 – is potentially…
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, Blue Water Baltimore held our second annual Afternoon With Your Waterkeeper event to release our 2019 water quality data. In response to current global events, we took the event online and held our very first large-scale webinar! Our water quality monitoring program hit…
When people think about things that pollute Baltimore’s streams and rivers, chances are they think about sewage, trash, and legacy toxins. Drinking water? Not so much. It’s hard to think of drinking water as a pollutant. After all, it is clean water, right? It doesn’t have the pungent smell that sewage does. It’s not unsightly…
During the winter months, our Water Quality Monitoring Team’s tidal fieldwork goes on temporary hiatus. But every year from April through November, we take our boat out once per week to monitor water quality in the Baltimore Harbor, Middle Branch, and the outer portions of the Patapsco River. By using scientific instrumentation our staff and…
Baltimore’s leaky pipe system is one of the biggest sources of pollution to our local streams, rivers, and Harbor. Cracks in the pipes and illegal connections bring millions of gallons of sewage, wash water, and drinking water into our streams every year. The City’s Municipal Separate Stormwater Sewer System (aka the MS4, or just “the…
As the Holiday season quickly approaches, we find ourselves wrapped up in tradition once again – decorations, family, gifts, and perhaps most importantly of all, food. When preparing your holiday meals this year, you can do your part for clean water in two important ways: Take the Fair Farms Pledge! The Chesapeake Bay and its…
On May 12, 2016, a staff member at Blue Water Baltimore was on her way to investigate a report of illegal dumping in the Perring Loch neighborhood, and her route took her across the Loch Raven Boulevard bridge. While crossing the bridge, she was overwhelmed by the stench of sewage—a constant reminder of the ongoing sewage leak…
On Tuesday April 19, Blue Water Baltimore conducted our first Outfall Screening Blitz of the year in the upper Stony Run. The Outfall Screening Blitz is a project in partnership with Ridge to Reefs and the Chesapeake Bay Trust that is focused on finding and eliminating pollution that is illegally entering Baltimore streams through the City’s stormwater…
Recently our Water Quality Monitoring program teamed up with Dr. Robert Hilderbrand, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Appalachian Laboratory, to look at another dimension of water health in the Jones Falls stream. Here, Dr. Hilderbrand talks about the microscopic organisms that make the Jones Falls unique. Stream Microbiomes Our…
As the Water Quality Manager at Blue Water Baltimore, my days are usually spent collecting water samples in our streams and Harbor or teaching people how different types of pollution enter our waterways. Earlier this month, I swapped my work boots for a suit jacket when I testified in front of the Maryland House Environment…