Environmental Regulators Order Baltimore City to Expand Sewage Assistance Program – Rain or Shine July 13, 2023 The Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Department of the Environment have ordered Baltimore City to expand a program that helps homeowners who have suffered a sewage backup due to problems in the city’s aging sewer pipes, fulfilling…
From Tony Bridges, Executive Director of Blue Water Baltimore: The drinking water crisis in West Baltimore is a stark reminder of the systemic problems with Baltimore’s water infrastructure—a problem built over decades that presents an ongoing threat to the health of our neighbors and waterways. The mishandling of the communication from Baltimore City to the…
Baltimore, MD – Blue Water Baltimore (BWB), home of the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, is proceeding in its federal case against Baltimore City originally filed in December 2021 for excessive pollution and ongoing violations of the federal Clean Water Act at the Patapsco and Back River Wastewater Treatment Plants. The parties previously agreed to temporarily pause…
Baltimore, MD – Blue Water Baltimore (BWB), home of the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland on Wednesday against Baltimore City for excessive pollution and ongoing violations of the Clean Water Act at the Patapsco and Back River Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). BWB is…
Baltimore, MD – Blue Water Baltimore (BWB), partnering with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), today filed a petition for judicial review of the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permits recently issued for Baltimore City and County. These permits, reviewed and re-issued every five years by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), provide requirements for municipalities to address pollution and flooding caused by…
In anticipation of Baltimore’s plastic bag ban, we’re partnering with the Office of Sustainability on a design contest for reusable bags to give out to city residents. Earlier in January, before we fell into the grips of a global pandemic, Baltimore City passed a plastic bag ban to protect our streets and streams from this…
I was grateful to see front page coverage of a critical and growing issue in Baltimore — how we effectively deal with urban stormwater (“As Maryland pours millions of dollars into its ailing streams, research shows some projects don’t help clean Chesapeake Bay,” Jan 2). As we enter a new decade, we must think more holistically…
Planting trees is a terrific activity for helping the environment and beautifying our neighborhoods. Fall can be a great time for planting trees, as Dumbarton Middle School (DMS) recently learned. In October 2019, Dumbarton partnered with Blue Water Baltimore to plant 21 trees on the school grounds. To do the job, DMS Green Club faculty advisers Janice…
Blue Water Baltimore is pleased to announce that our lead water quality scientist Alice Volpitta has been appointed as our new Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper! A Maryland native and resident of Baltimore City, Volpitta has served as Blue Water Baltimore’s lead water quality scientist for nearly six years. Her areas of expertise include water quality monitoring,…
‘It’s not easy being green’ in Baltimore, but a new report released today by Blue Water Baltimore shows that it could be. The report outlines current hurdles to creating green stormwater infrastructure – including green roofs and rain gardens – in Baltimore City. It also offers solutions for how Baltimore officials can support and expand the…