2017 Maryland General Assembly Session Starts
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2017 Maryland General Assembly Session Starts

January 11th marked the opening of the 2017 Maryland General Assembly legislative session. Blue Water Baltimore will be in Annapolis collaborating with fellow environmental advocates to ensure our local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay are protected. Over the next 90 days, we will be providing up-to-date information on this blog regarding important environmental legislation and…

Erosion and Sediment Control Enforcement
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Erosion and Sediment Control Enforcement

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…

Blue Water Baltimore Goes To Washington

Blue Water Baltimore Goes To Washington

[Note: Elise Bruner is Blue Water Baltimore’s Community Organizer.] On March 2, Blue Water Baltimore’s Executive Director, Halle Van der Gaag, Stormwater Program Manager Erin Bennett, and I traveled to Washington, D.C. for Choose Clean Water Coalition’s annual Chesapeake Bay Day on Capitol Hill. Halle joined other environmental leaders from the coalition in encouraging legislators to…

Give Up the Bag for Lent
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Give Up the Bag for Lent

[Katie Dix is Blue Water Baltimore’s Volunteer Manager. She recruits, trains, and coordinates the many volunteers and programs that enable us to accomplish our mission.] Last month nearly seven hundred sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School signed a pledge to reduce their plastic consumption after they viewed Bag It, a documentary about the effects of plastic….

Our Maryland Legislative Priorities for 2016

Our Maryland Legislative Priorities for 2016

If you support a clean environment and strong, healthy communities, be an advocate for clean water issues at the federal, state and local levels! Blue Water Baltimore is different from other environmental non-profits because we bring the combined expertise of implementation and advocacy together under one roof. Advocacy is the effort to influence an outcome, the…

Blue Water Baltimore’s 2014 Annual Report
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Blue Water Baltimore’s 2014 Annual Report

This year’s report is dedicated to the diverse people and institutions we work with to accomplish our mission of clean water and strong communities. We truly value all those who engage with us as partners in our shared vision of better water quality and a healthier, more vibrant Baltimore region. Below, read excerpts from our…

Blue Water Baltimore Petitions EPA Over Stormwater Pollution
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Blue Water Baltimore Petitions EPA Over Stormwater Pollution

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…

Sewage Overflows Public Advisory
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Sewage Overflows Public Advisory

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…

2015 Legislative Recap

2015 Legislative Recap

Heading in to this year’s general assembly session, the environmental community was concerned that our parks, wildlife, open space, and waters might take a backseat to other issues. We elected a governor and many new legislators that campaigned on less regulation-usually bad news for the environment-and on repealing the “rain tax.” But all things considered,…

Help the Watershed Restoration and Protection Legislation
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Help the Watershed Restoration and Protection Legislation

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…