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BWB Files Lawsuit Over Industrial Stormwater Permits

On Monday, Blue Water Baltimore, the Gunpowder Riverkeeper, and our attorneys at the Chesapeake Legal Alliance filed suit against the state of Maryland to fix major flaws in the industrial stormwater runoff permitting process. We are joined in this effort by Potomac Riverkeeper Network and Waterkeepers Chesapeake, represented by the Environmental Integrity Project, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

These permits govern hundreds of industrial facilities in the Baltimore region, like scrapyards and landfills, and set the standards for controlling toxic stormwater runoff from these businesses. The permit is scheduled to go into effect February 1, and contains major flaws that will harm our waterways and communities, including:

  • Inadequate testing requirements for industrial sites;
  • No set limits for key pollutants, including toxic metals and nitrogen;
  • Relying on outdated water standards and fails to consider the known effects of climate change.

For more information about the lawsuit, read the joint press release from all of the plaintiffs.

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