THE ISSUE: The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has proposed a series of changes to the municipal separated stormwater sewer system (MS4) permits that dictate how much stormwater pollution local jurisdictions can allow, and what they are required to do to offset it. Urban and suburban stormwater runoff is untreated – it kills fish,…
You have a new tree! This is the beginning of a very long and beautiful friendship. Congratulations! Photo: Mature northern red oak in the woods of Druid Hill Park Care for your tree and it will care for you (and future generations!): Depending on its species, a tree will live for a few decades or…
As our 10th birthday celebration continues, we’re shining a spotlight on one of our allies in the fight for clean water, the Waterway Pollution Investigation Team in the Baltimore City Department of Public Works. This dedicated group of people receives your reports, follows up on them, and hunts down the source of the pollution in…
Last week, a powerful storm flooded Baltimore’s most popular neighborhoods. Our waterways took a hit, too. On August 6, 2019, the storm dropped almost a half foot of rain in a two-hour span. Flash floods overtook many neighborhoods at the foot of the Jones Falls watershed. Some people posted dramatic photos of stranded cars and flooded…
Baltimore is trying to ban plastic bags…again. This time, the ban has a big chance of becoming law…with your help. In Baltimore, plastic bags are everywhere. They fly down our streets, get caught in trees, clog our waterways, and harm our wildlife. A bill to ban plastic bags in Baltimore City has been over a…
Over the past weekend, thousands of people have taken to Twitter to showcase why #WeAreBaltimore and #WeLoveBaltimore. Residents from all walks of life are sharing positive stories about their lives in Charm City. The outpour of pride and love for Baltimore has taken the world by storm. From world-class seafood to Edgar Allen Poe, there…
This autumn, Blue Water Baltimore’s Outreach & Education Coordinator, Michel Anderson, facilitated a series of three workshops in Baltimore City’s Oliver neighborhood entitled Photovoice: Oliver. The project was generously funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation as part of our Deep Blue program. Photovoice is an internationally utilized, grassroots…
When it comes to choosing plants for your yard, the choices can seem overwhelming. Every gardener, when they first began gardening in earnest, struggled to figure out what plants were the best plants for their gardens. The variables can appear to be endless: sun or shade; wet or dry; acidic or alkaline; short or tall;…
[Photo courtesy of League of Conservation Voters] Last night, we witnessed an impressive moment as more than three hundred people gathered at Mount Lebanon Baptist Church in West Baltimore to ask Baltimore’s mayoral candidates to share their vision for making Baltimore a more livable, healthy and clean city. As executive director of Blue Water Baltimore…
[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….