The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and Baltimore City leadership have reached an agreement which entails continued progress at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant.
According to the MDE, the revised order requires the city to cooperate with MES in order to prevent and correct water pollution. The goal is to ensure the Back River facility is safely and properly operating.
Additionally, MDE issued a revised directive which clarifies that the Maryland Environmental Service (MES) will perform activities and improvement projects to tackle pollution.
According to the MDE, under the consent order between MDE and the city, the city agrees to:
- Allow MES to make repairs and improvements to the Back River plant and to collaborate with MES on the identification and performance of repairs and improvements;
- Cooperate fully with MES and provide MES’ staff and personnel access to all areas of the plant to implement abatement projects and services as set forth in the revised directive;
- Avail itself of projects and services provided by MES that MES believes are necessary to abate pollution that may be occurring as a result of operations at the plant;
- Comply with a cost reimbursement agreement with MES;
- Participate in weekly meetings with MES and MDE regarding ongoing progress and upcoming activities to return the plant to full compliance; and
- Provide MDE with a monthly report for each of the next six months on the city’s progress toward bringing the plant back into full compliance.
Baltimore City has withdrawn its challenge to MDE’s Mar. 24 order and Mar. 27 directive as a result of the consent order.
“The Maryland Department of the Environment is committed to working with MES and Baltimore City leadership to ensure progress in improving the Back River plant’s performance and protecting public health and the environment,” said Maryland Environment Secretary Horacio Tablada, reported MDE. “This agreement between MDE and Baltimore City leadership allows all of us to focus on working together to fix the problems at the Back River facility.”
The order needs approval by Baltimore City’s Board of Estimates.
The MDE adds that “the consent order will remain in effect until it is either superseded by a further order, terminated by mutual agreement, or the Back River plant has maintained compliance with its permit limits for a three-month period, including for total nitrogen and total phosphorus for each month in a three consecutive month period and with all annual and seasonal loading limits in the permit, calculated on a pro-rata basis, for the same three-month period.”
More information can be found here.
