Blue Water Baltimore Successfully Joins Federal, State Enforcement to fix City’s Failing Sewer System On Thursday, September 8, 2016, the U.S. District Court granted Blue Water Baltimore’s motion to intervene in the federal consent decree lawsuit intended to fix the City of Baltimore’s failing sewer system. The successful intervention is a significant victory for the organization, and…
On August 5, 2016, Blue Water Baltimore, in conjunction with the Environmental Integrity Project, submitted three sets of public comments in response to the proposed modifications of the Consent Decree filed on June 7, 2016. After failing to meet the 2016 deadline, this modified proposal pushes repairs to our aging sewer system to 2033. Comments…
ACT NOW: Last Chance to Keep Sewage out of Baltimore’s Homes, Parks and Waterways Before 2033! Since 2011, more than 100 million gallons of sewage have entered streets, homes, parks and waterways in Baltimore. After failing to meet the 2016 deadline, a proposed legal agreement with Baltimore City pushes repairs to our aging sewer system to…
This is your last chance until 2033: Tell EPA and MDE to keep sewage out of Baltimore’s homes, parks and waterways! As you may already know, the public has been invited to submit comments on a proposal to modify Baltimore City’s federal Consent Decree to eliminate sewer overflows. In 2002, as a result of chronic…
Photograph credit: Chesapeake Bay Program. Collective Action Representatives from 11 local and regional environmental groups, including our own Baltimore Harbor Keeper, David Flores, sent a letter yesterday to Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles and Attorney General Brian E. Frosh addressing a recent decline in environmental enforcement. The letter highlights a 35% drop in…
On September 17, 2015 Blue Water Baltimore, Natural Resources Defense Council, and American Rivers submitted a petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking the agency to require certain types of private properties to reduce the amount of stormwater pollution they send into the Back River. Becky Hammer, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Staff…
Sediment pollution is a major challenge for Baltimore’s waterways. Last month we were soaked with 9.98 inches of rain, making it the wettest June on record for our area. These extreme rain events lead to very high stream flows and widespread flooding, which cause severe stream bank erosion. During these events, stormwater also washes over…
On Saturday, June 27 the Baltimore region was drenched with over three inches of rainfall in a matter of hours. Whenever large rainstorms like these hit Baltimore, stormwater runoff leaks into our sanitary sewer system through cracks in aging pipes. As a result, the capacity of sewage pipes is overwhelmed and causes massive sewage overflows…
We are pleased to announce the launch of our Baltimore Harbor Water Alert website. The new website is a one-of-a-kind design that displays water quality data for Baltimore’s Harbor, rivers and streams in an interactive mapping format. The new site features: Ability to measure and map water health and pollution in the Patapsco and its…
Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, David Flores, joined attorneys from Earthjustice, Khushi Desai and Jennifer Chavez, at the Baltimore City Circuit Court on September 8, to present oral argument that legally challenged the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to improve the permit that governs Baltimore City’s urban storm sewer system. The argument, presented by Earthjustice before…