Latest news with #SerenaMcIlwain
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A new trash wheel for Back River: Baltimore funds projects after wastewater woes
Maryland Secretary of the Environment Serena McIlwain speaks at a news conference in Essex about environmental projects that will be funded as compensation for pollution from the city's two wastewater treatment plants. The Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant is seen in the background. (Photo by Christine Condon/ Maryland Matters) The Baltimore region could get a new trash wheel, one of 21 environmental projects for which Baltimore City is providing funding to compensate for pollution caused by the failure of two city wastewater treatment plants during the pandemic. The projects, announced Tuesday, will be funded by $1.7 million from the city under a consent decree with the Maryland Department of the Environment. The decree also required millions of dollars in repairs and other improvements to the treatment plants, $1.4 million in penalties and the potential for another $1.4 million of improvement efforts fall short. The Chesapeake Bay Trust will distribute funding for the projects, which include tree plantings, rain gardens, waterway sampling, trail stabilization and educational efforts around the Baltimore region. 'These projects, they're going to provide real benefits to those communities that have really faced pollution for way too long,' said Maryland Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain during an event Tuesday at Cox's Point Park, across from the Back River plant. 'But they're not just going to address the damages of the past. They're actually going to create new opportunities for those communities.' Baltimore City's two wastewater treatment plants — the Back River plant in Dundalk and one on the Patapsco River in Wagner's Point — are the largest in Maryland. And as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, they descended into disrepair. Advocates at the nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore first flagged high bacteria levels in the Patapsco in 2021, tipping off state environmental inspectors who uncovered mechanical failures and staffing woes that led to overages of pollutants such as bacteria and nutrients, which cause algae blooms that harm marine life. Months later, with the Back River plant — the larger of the two — on the verge of 'catastrophic failure,' then-Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles invoked a rarely used provision in state law to send a team of Maryland Environmental Service experts in to oversee operations at the plant. MDE then filed suit against the city, as did Blue Water Baltimore. By about June 2022, Back River plant discharges began to meet pollution limits, and the Patapsco plant followed behind. The city paid MES some $7 million for its assistance. 'These plants, as we all know, have faced some real challenges over the past years,' McIlwain said. 'But how you respond to those challenges is really what matters. And I am so happy to say today that the city of Baltimore responded. The Maryland Environmental Service responded.' While the consent decree included the threat of another $1.4 million in penalties if the city failed to comply, the city is 'on track' not to owe the extra funds, MDE spokesman Jay Apperson said in a statement Tuesday. As of its most recent report, in February, the city has spent $167 million on repairs at Back River and another $92 million at Patapsco. The city has also disbursed some $40 million to hire private contractors to augment city staff at the facilities. The plants are generally compliant with their daily, weekly and monthly pollution discharge limits, but exceedances and spills have led to about $72,000 in additional fines against the city since the consent decree took effect. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D), who turned 41 last week, said Tuesday that the two sewage plants 'haven't had the investment that they needed in my lifetime.' The Back River plant opened in 1911 and the Patapsco plant in 1940. 'We know where we were just a few short years ago, and you can see that we've taken leaps and bounds since then,' Scott said. 'But this is not us celebrating. This is us acknowledging the great progress that's been made, and also acknowledging that we have a lot more work to do.' Community groups who remember when overages at the Back River plant closed the river to swimming just a few years ago remain wary, especially when odors waft around Dundalk and Essex. But Tuesday was still an exciting day, said Desiree Greaver, a project manager at the nonprofit Back River Restoration Committee, which will install the new trash wheel. 'It's like Christmas,' Greaver said. 'This is huge for Back River. It's going to be so impactful, and the community is really excited.' Just about every day, the committee sends volunteers to a trash-collecting boom just upstream of the wastewater treatment plant, who don waders and manually remove trash and debris. Once, they caught a hot tub. Another time, port-a-potties. Even with $655,363 coming from Tuesday's consent decree, the committee still needs to raise several hundred thousand dollars to make the project a reality, Greaver said. But the nonprofit is optimistic that the project will come to fruition, possibly within 18 months. And once it does, it will make life a lot easier for trash-cleaning volunteers. 'We actually have people getting in the water, physically removing the trash, and we can't rely on that forever,' Greaver said. 'It's not a glamorous job. It's not something that's easy to find help for. So we were really looking forward to something that was automated.' The new trash wheel will join four others along Baltimore shorelines, best known for their large googly eyes and varying personas. About $44,000 of the grant money will also go toward a mentoring program administered by One More … One Less, focused on connecting individuals with mental health challenges to water recreation, said Brian Bordley, the group's CEO. During Tuesday's event, Bordley spoke about his own memories fishing with his father near Cox's Point Park, gaining valuable life experience — even when they didn't catch anything. By starting his own mentoring program, he hoped to share those same experiences with local kids. 'We gave access to these kids to be on the water, and we saw things change in their behavior,' Bordley said. 'Their attitudes became adjusted. Their behavior started to become less hostile and angry. We found that they had a mental health byproduct of just being out on the water.'
CBS News
15-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Maryland leaders announce $1.7 million in grant funding for environmental cleanup projects
The Maryland Department of the Environment, Chesapeake Bay Trust, along with Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott announced $1.7 million in grant funding for 21 environmental projects. The funding will support projects ranging from trash removal and stormwater management to increasing green spaces in communities affected by past pollution. "This is environmental justice in action," Maryland Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said. "These actions are about fairness, and people, and prosperity." The grant funding comes from a settlement of a lawsuit filed by Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on behalf of the Department of the Environment, requiring Baltimore City to address unauthorized pollution discharges. Among the largest grants is $655,363 for the Back River Restoration Committee to design and build a trash wheel on Back River. Other funded initiatives include community cleanups, permeable pavement projects, youth educational programs, and native plantings. "With these projects, we're creating good-paying jobs, cleaning up trash, improving drainage, planting trees, and establishing new green spaces," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "We aren't just repairing damage; we're building more sustainable neighborhoods." Other awards include $7,729 for Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Baltimore County to start a water testing and pollution monitoring program on Back River, $154,263 to The 6th Branch, for a program offering interactive workshops to install pollinator gardens at three urban farms, and $222,539 to the Living Classrooms Foundation to install "greening practices" that will improve water in the Lancaster Street canal. The funding complements Gov. Wes Moore's FY26 budget, which includes over $400 million for wastewater plant upgrades and other Chesapeake Bay-related projects. Last October, Baltimore City's Department of Public Works said it was operating at "historic" levels when it comes to wastewater treatment. In Tuesday's announcement, officials reported significant improvements at Maryland's two largest wastewater treatment plants, with nitrogen pollution dropping over 60 percent at Back River and 78 percent at Patapsco since 2022.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Most of Maryland under drought warning as dry conditions continue
A drought warning has been issued for most of Maryland due to ongoing dry conditions and below-average rainfall, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) said Thursday. Baltimore City is not under a drought watch as it is experiencing normal conditions due to its reservoirs. Areas served by WSSC Water are under a drought watch set by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, according to the MDE. There are no statewide mandatory water restrictions in place, however, local water systems can choose to implement measures based on individual conditions, MDE said. "All Marylanders — especially those in our central and western counties — should use water wisely and follow any guidance from their local water supplier," MDE Secretary Serena McIlwain said. "There is no immediate water shortage in Maryland, but we are stepping up our communications with local drought coordinators and closely monitoring conditions across the state." According to MDE , a drought watch is an early alert that urges the state to monitor conditions, while a warning means conditions are getting worse and more active coordination is needed between water suppliers and state officials. During a watch, state officials monitor conditions every other week and keep an eye on potential problems caused by water systems. Water suppliers implement a water conservation plan and other measures to reduce usage. Suppliers are also directed to work with homeowners to complete leak detection surveys and leak repairs. During a drought watch, suppliers are able to impose restrictions that are more severe than state guidelines. During a drought warning, state officials encourage businesses to use treated wastewater in some instances, in accordance with health guidelines. Government buildings are urged to complete maintenance and repairs that may be contributing to leaks. When a warning is in place, water suppliers are urged to stop flushing water lines, fire hydrants and other equipment, and are asked to contact industrial users to reduce their water usage. During a watch, the goal is to decrease usage by 5-10% while a warning aims to reduce usage by 10-15%, according to MDE. Since October, Maryland has received less precipitation than normal, and while snowfall and recent heavy rain helped, groundwater levels are still below normal, MDE reported. Areas of Carroll and Frederick counties are seeing a greater impact. MDE data shows groundwater levels are lower than normal in shallow areas on the Eastern Shore. In November 2024, CBS News reported that much of the Northeastern U.S. experienced drought conditions, which fueled an increase in fire danger. At the time, 53% of Maryland was under a severe drought and 4% was under an extreme drought. As of April 1, 58% of Maryland is under a severe drought, and 24% is under a moderate drought, according to th e U.S. Drought Monitor . So far, no part of the state is under an extreme drought. MDE recommends that farmers consult the U.S. Drought Monitor if they are concerned about soil moisture or irrigation or contact their local soil conservation district to monitor conditions and support water management. Homeowners are advised to take the following steps to conserve water: Find more water-saving tips HERE .
