It has been three weeks since the beginning of the 2017 General Assembly session and our push for a polystyrene phase out is in full swing! Overall, we have received positive feedback regarding SB186/HB229 to eliminate the use of polystyrene to-go packaging. We have been working hard alongside our partner Trash Free Maryland and champions…
The Baltimore County Council is currently considering legislation that would phase out the county’s stormwater utility fee. The Importance of the Fee This fee pays for projects and programs designed to improve water quality in the county’s streams and rivers, reduce neighborhood flooding, and increase tree planting in communities. The County Council says that the…
Reporting Pollution Can Make a Difference Irene Smith, a mother of three and a constant force for good in Herring Run Park, takes a moment to talk about one of her passions and how she got involved with Blue Water Baltimore. She believes that by reporting pollution you can make a difference to help achieve clean…
Today, Blue Water Baltimore announced that we have received $500,000 from the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund to comprehensively address the stormwater, greening, and targeted public health goals in five Baltimore City neighborhoods. Blue Water Baltimore is calling this novel approach Deep Blue. Blue Water Baltimore staff, along with Congressmen C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes, and representatives…
It’s a scary thought, but most of the drinking water in the United States is contaminated with pharmaceuticals. In fact, a 2010 analysis by the EPA found that 54 different active pharmaceutical ingredients and 10 metabolites have been detected in treated drinking water. The most common compounds were hormones (estrogen, primarily) and antibiotics, but painkillers…
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…
About the Legislation The Watershed Protection and Restoration Program (HB987), passed in 2012, is the framework within the ten largest jurisdictions in Maryland that works to manage local polluted runoff which is contributed from impervious surfaces. Supporters of the law have been working to show the positive benefits to our local communities, waterways, and the Chesapeake…
Blue Water Baltimore’s new Pollution Reporting Form makes it easier than ever to pinpoint the location of pollution using GPS coordinates or a street address. In fact, accessing the form with your smartphone will automatically fill in your current GPS coordinates if you are at the site of the pollution incident. We encourage you to…
It’s a fact: plastic bags are a major source of trash in Baltimore’s rivers and in the Baltimore Harbor. According to various estimates, plastic bags are the second most common trash pollutant making up 10% of total trash and 50% of all plastic trash. Thankfully, the Baltimore City Council is working to address this problem….