a group of children standing on the side of a road
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Flowers in Concrete: How Rain Gardens Benefit Baltimore’s Waterways

Nature is constantly being shaped and molded by human activity to fit society’s needs. Our landscapes have been largely modified by urbanization, without much consideration for the natural world surrounding us. For an industrial city like Baltimore, urbanization has degraded the health of our streams.  Most of this urbanization means more concrete and paved surfaces….

three people standing in front of a body of water
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A Year in Review: 2021 Water Wins 

It’s been a whirlwind of a year on all fronts, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ve navigated through many challenges, welcomed new staff members to our BWB family, and we’re working every day to hold polluters accountable. So, what has your Baltimore Waterkeeper team been up to?   Growing our Team of Water Protectors  Our…

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The Power of One: How One Concerned Citizen Brought the Jones Falls Fish Kill to Light

On a Sunday morning in September, Todd Evans was taking his dog Rue on a walk along the Jones Falls Bike Trail near the Woodberry Woods. As Rue sniffed around the trails’ edge, something caught his eye in the water below. A thick layer of foam had developed on the rapids and the air stank…

Headshot of Mariel Yarbrough wearing a black blazer with a cream colored wall and a U.S. flag in the background.
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Holding Polluters Accountable: A Look At the Work of Mariel Yarbrough

Blue Water Baltimore plays a critical role in identifying pollution in our waterways and taking action to stop it. Thanks to key provisions in the Clean Water Act that give the public the right to directly enforce against polluters, we can hold them accountable and stop pollution at its source. There is no shortage of water pollution…

a pile of pills sitting on top of a table
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National Drug Take-Back Day

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…

Three Questions You Must Ask When Planning a Rain Garden

It’s winter and by golly it’s cold out there! Not to worry, spring is right around the corner. But don’t be without a plan! Now is a great time to get ready and avoid another planting season come and go without a rain garden for your yard. Your first step is to make sure your yard has…

A New Tree Grove, Thanks to the Hardy Garden Club

When the Hardy Garden Club approached Blue Water Baltimore and told us that they wanted to support a restoration project, we had just the project in mind. In the past, Hardy had helped the Jones Falls Watershed Association (one of the five watershed groups that merged to form Blue Water Baltimore) install a rain garden…

Blue Water Baltimore Intervention in EPA Agreement Ruled “Untimely”

Blue Water Baltimore Executive Director Halle Van der Gaag today released the following statement in response to a U.S. District Court recent ruling denying the organization’s citizen intervention in a 2002 consent decree between Baltimore City, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) requiring the City to fix the sewer…