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PRESS RELEASE: Blue Water Baltimore Asks Court to Proceed with Case Against Baltimore City Over Wastewater Treatment Violations

ByLeanna Powell

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…

Flowers in Concrete: How Rain Gardens Benefit Baltimore’s Waterways
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Flowers in Concrete: How Rain Gardens Benefit Baltimore’s Waterways

ByLauren Paulet

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….

February Advocacy Updates
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February Advocacy Updates

ByTaylor Smith-Hams

January was a big month for local climate advocacy. Mayor Scott announced a goal for Baltimore City to become carbon neutral by 2045, and there were City Council hearings on three bills in Councilman Mark Conway’s climate package. Maryland’s legislative session also kicked off on January 12th, during which state legislators will consider dozens of…

Our Water Warriors: The Duo Behind BWB’s Water Quality Program 

Our Water Warriors: The Duo Behind BWB’s Water Quality Program 

ByLauren Paulet

Winter or summer, rain or shine our science team is out on the water monitoring the quality of our waterways. Barbara Johnson is BWB’s Water Quality Manager & Cody Matteson is our Senior Coordinator for the Water Quality Program. Together they make the ultimate duo, traversing our streams and harbor to track the progress we’re…

There’s No Environmental Justice Without Racial Justice

There’s No Environmental Justice Without Racial Justice

ByTaylor Smith-Hams

As we celebrate Black History & Black Futures Month this February, the connections between environmental justice and racial justice are clearer than ever.  As a majority white organization working in a majority Black city, we at Blue Water Baltimore strive to uphold a commitment to equity and also recognize that we have a lot more…

Help Baltimore Tackle Climate Change!

ByTaylor Smith-Hams

Take Action! Fight Climate Change From raw sewage backing up into peoples’ basements to the urban heat island effect exacerbating hot temperatures, climate change poses significant risks to Baltimore’s communities, waterways, and environment. And the effects of climate change are not felt equally. As a result of systemic disinvestment, Black and brown communities are more…

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PRESS RELEASE: Blue Water Baltimore Files Lawsuit Against Baltimore City Over Wastewater Treatment Violations

ByLeanna Powell

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…

PRESS RELEASE: BWB and CBF Take Action Against Short-sighted Stormwater Permits
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PRESS RELEASE: BWB and CBF Take Action Against Short-sighted Stormwater Permits

ByLeanna Powell

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…

Blue Water Baltimore Intervention in EPA Agreement Ruled “Untimely”

ByKristen Weiss

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…