Here’s an alarming statistic: the trash interceptor where Watershed 246 empties into the Baltimore Harbor (near Canton) receives between three to five tons of trash MONTHLY. That’s 6,000 to 10,000 pounds of refuse getting carried by stormwater from the city’s streets, to the storm drains, and then directly to the Harbor–in the time it takes…
Last week, in the first part of this two part series on water pollution, I explored the connection between energy, water, and pollution. This week my focus is on the home: how water and pollution are connected to where we rest our heads. You’ve likely heard the terms stormwater and urban runoff (if you’d like…
[Note: This post was written by Dana Puzey, program manager for the Water Audit program, and is the first of a two-part series on how you can reduce your ecological footprint as an individual.] When you are tuned into local environmental issues, you hear the rallying cries against water pollution all the time: Save the…
[NOTE: Debra Lenik is the staff Volunteer Coordinator at Blue Water Baltimore, and first joined us in 2010 as part of the AmeriCorps Volunteer Maryland program.] A colleague recently asked me where I saw myself in ten years. Holy mackerel, I thought. Ten years?! I’m 23 years old now and of course, that’s as far…
At Blue Water Baltimore, we take our native plants seriously. This is not only because a landscape full of native plants can help reduce polluted runoff, but also for their other benefits: cooler summers, cleaner air, and more habitat for birds, butterflies, and bees. Consequentially, we work hard to operate Herring Run Nursery as great place…
The Healthy Harbor initiative recently announced their vision for a fishable and swimmable harbor by 2020, and we are working hard to make that vision a reality. Baltimore neighborhoods play an essential role in accomplishing that goal because the health of our waterways and the health of our communities are directly connected. That is the motivation behind the…
This is meant to be a blog post about Blue Water Baltimore’s advocacy work – and it is – but I’m going to make it a wee bit personal. My name is Mike Aaron. I’ve now been working for Blue Water Baltimore for five months. I was hired for both administrative and advocacy support, which…
This post is a joint entry by Debra Lenik, Volunteer Coordinator, and David Flores, Program Manager for Water Quality and Pollution Monitoring. Debra: I may complain about long hours in the field during the spring and fall, but by the time January comes around, I’m definitely itching to be outside again. So when I received…
Controlling stormwater pollution is a year-round concern, one that matters in winter just as much as spring and summer. When the temperature drops, vast amounts of deicing chemicals are dumped by the truckload across our roads, sidewalks, and driveways. With each thaw, all that salt washes directly into our waterways. Freezing temperatures also lead to broken pipes, which…
At this time of year many nonprofits, including Blue Water Baltimore, remind you that we need your support. We ask you to give before the end of the year and then send you straight to the Donate webpage. If you’ve gotten that far, then it’s likely that you already believe in our mission. You also…
