Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant has 48 hours to come into compliance after inspection

Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant has 48 hours to come into compliance after inspection

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Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant has 48 hours to come into compliance after inspection

A scathing report obtained by the 11 News I-Team identifies significant maintenance and operational failures at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Dundalk, which has 48 hours to get into compliance.

State officials said the plant, which is run by the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, poses a risk to the environment and public health.

State officials said they found excessive amounts of pollution -- bacteria and nutrients -- flowing into the Back River and, ultimately, into the Chesapeake Bay.

An inspector with the Maryland Department of the Environment visited the plant this week. The state documented numerous maintenance issues such as unacceptable levels of algae, clogged filters and inoperable storage tanks.

Inspectors said they found an increase in unpermitted discharges.

State lawmakers who represent the area have firsthand knowledge of the problem.

"I will look you in the eye, David, and tell you when I had this meeting (with the plant management), I felt that I was being lied to and smiled at the same time," said Baltimore County Delegate Ric Metzgar, R-District 6. "(There are) several issues, mainly staffing."

"If they need manpower, they should have gotten back to legislators, they should have gotten back to MDE to let us know these things and they did not," said Baltimore County Sen. Johnny Ray Salling, R-District 6.

The inspector's finding prompted Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles to order the city-run plant to curb its discharges and get back in compliance within 48 hours.

In a statement, the secretary warned: "The ongoing and escalating problems present an unacceptable threat to the environment and public health. If the conditions of my order are not met, I will not hesitate to take further appropriate actions."

But under current state law, administrative penalties are not severe and civil action must be heard in court.

Baltimore County Delegate Robin Grammar Jr., R-District 6, said he views Grumbles as the problem. He wrote to Gov. Larry Hogan, asking him to remove the secretary, citing chronic and escalating problems under his watch.

During an unrelated news conference Thursday, the governor said: "I didn't see any letter. It sounds absurd to me because MDE is the one that pushing to get those things cleaned up by the city."

The Senate passed legislation, sending it to the House, to allow MDE to impose tougher penalties for violations of state water laws.

WBAL-TV 11 News reached out to the Baltimore City DPW for comment and has yet to hear back.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation released a statement Thursday, saying, "The photos and stories emerging this week about the Back River plant are shocking. It looks like many parts of this plant receive no routine maintenance and most of the treatment systems are compromised as a result. There must be no more excuses. We've known for at least six months about problems at the plant, but it appears no one has taken the initiative to fix them. To reach the goals of the Chesapeake Bay cleanup, we're counting on significant pollution reductions from upgraded wastewater treatment plants. If those upgrades aren't working, then the cleanup will be in jeopardy."

This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. MDE Sec Ben Grumbles:”The ongoing and escalating problems at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant present an unacceptable threat to the environment and public health” pic.twitter.com/x1P3JufqdE— David Collins (@dcollinsWBAL) March 25, 2022 Get the WBAL-TV 11 News App

MDE Sec Ben Grumbles:”The ongoing and escalating problems at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant present an unacceptable threat to the environment and public health” pic.twitter.com/x1P3JufqdE

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