ESSEX, Md. - Dozens of community members who live along or near the Back River are now trained to collect water quality samples in the polluted waterway.

"We've smelled it all our lives, but it's worse. They spend all this money on this plant and it's worse," John Neukam of Essex said Thursday. "I'm 78 years old. It's worse now than ever. And, we've got to do something to clean it up. We've got to clean it up."

Nonprofit organization Blue Water Baltimore distributed water collection kits and trained volunteers Thursday at Cox's Point Park in Essex.

"I think that really speaks to the fact people are really engaged on this issue and they want their voices heard," said Blue Water Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper Alice Volpitta. "At the end of the day, the (Back River Wastewater Treatment) Plant is discharging too much pollution and the plant is discharging solid material that it shouldn't be."

State officials took over control of the Baltimore City-run Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in June after pollution and compliance issues.

In an Aug. 5 progress report, the Maryland Department of the Environment said, "Data indicates progress toward the goal of removing the accumulation of solids from the treatment system." The "solids concentration" going into the plant's 52 Denitrification Filters has reduced from March 2022 levels.

Still, only three of the plant's primary settling tanks, which allow solid material within the wastewater to be easily separated, are functioning, according to the report. Several other systems still have problems operating, including sand filters, centrifuges, gravity belt thickeners and gravity sludge thickeners.

"The picture that they're painting is really clear, which is the operations and maintenance at both facilities are still in big trouble," Volpitta said.

State officials said Thursday its oversight order remains in effect and monitoring crews may remain on site even after the order is eventually lifted.

"We have the technology to keep things clean, to have the air clean, to have the water clean. And, that's important, because this is the only earth we have," Keith Taylor of Edgemere said. "They need the personnel to take care of the plant itself."

Paul is a general assignment reporter at WJZ with a decade of experience reporting in Baltimore.

First published on August 18, 2022 / 4:33 PM

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