Proposed Maryland bill would prevent dredged material from being stored in overburdened communities
BALTIMORE -- Maryland lawmakers have proposed a bill that could prevent the state's port administration from storing dredged material from the Baltimore Harbor in already overburdened communities.
In June 2024, Anne Arundel County residents complained about the environmental impacts of the Maryland Port Administration's planned confined aquatic disposal project.
Residents say this proposed bill is needed to protect their waterways for decades.
"We're very concerned about that being dumped into the water, right near our homes," said Stoney Beach resident John Garofolo.
What would the proposed bill accomplish?
Senate Bill 168 – the Environmental Justice in Confined Aquatic Disposal Act – aims to prevent the construction of confined aquatic disposal (CAD) cells within five miles of a residential overburdened community.
"The state and other businesses keep dumping environmentally contaminated material in their area, and this would protect them from that," said Sen. Bryan Simonaire.
Sen. Simonaire sponsored the bill after residents expressed concern about the port administration's plan to build a CAD cell on the Patapsco River less than a mile from their homes.
"The communities that are overburdened already don't want to be the testbed for the state to see if it's going to work or what kind of adverse environmental impact it'll be," Simonaire said.
If passed, the bill would go into effect on October 1, 2025.
What is CAD?
CAD involves digging a hole on the river floor in order to store the hazardous dredged material from the Baltimore harbor.
Garofolo, and other residents, fear this would bring more contaminants to their already overburdened community, after decades of pollution from surrounding industries.
Garofolo testified in favor of the bill at the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee hearing on Jan. 28.
"The existing pollution has had overwhelming impacts to our health, employment and businesses, the Patapsco is not a resource to be exploited nor are its communities," Garofolo said.
Life-long Pasadena resident and boater Carl Treff also testified.
"As a resident, a recreationalist, an environmental steward of the Patapsco River, I cannot fathom in this era of bay restoration, how mining and destroying the bottom of our river is a good idea," Treff said.
MPA provided the following statement to WJZ:
"The Maryland Port Administration (MPA) is currently facilitating the state's evaluation of a dredged sediment management option known as confined aquatic disposal under the statutory framework of the state's Dredged Material Management Program created by the Maryland General Assembly."
"The evaluation of contained aquatic disposal is an ongoing process that will continue to involve a comprehensive subcommittee formed by the MPA that includes outside stakeholders including local communities."
"Part of this process is to fully understand the complete technical, environmental, socioeconomic, and community impacts of confined aquatic disposal. Prioritizing environmental justice is a core component of the subcommittee's focus."
"We understand the concerns that have been raised and will make sure that as the process continues, it does so while continuing to be transparent and inclusive. We believe that a ban as proposed in this bill is premature, and circumvents the important work being done by the subcommittee."
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