The Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency and the
state of Maryland announced a joint settlement with the city of Baltimore
that addresses continuing hazards posed by hundreds of illegal wastewater discharges
of raw sewage from Baltimore's wastewater collection system.
Under the settlement, the city has agreed to undertake a comprehensive,
system-wide program that will bring the city into long-term compliance with the
Clean Water Act. It will also end the years of chronic discharges of millions
of gallons of raw sewage into city streets and local waterways, including the
Patapsco River and other tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Once completed, the
extensive sewer upgrade will cost approximately $940 million over the 14-year
life of the agreement.
Most of Baltimore's wastewater is intended to be transported
in sanitary sewer systems -- a network of sewer pipes connected to the city's
wastewater treatment facilities. The city experiences frequent sanitary system
overflows (SSOs) caused by excessive use, limited sewer capacity and infiltration
of water into the system caused by years of neglect.
Heavy rainfall or snowmelts often overwhelm the capacity of
these systems, resulting in combined sewer overflows (CSOs) that discharge contaminated
stormwater and untreated human and industrial waste to local waterways. Many of
the waterbodies impacted by the illegal sewage discharges fail to meet the Maryland
water quality standards.
Under today's settlement, Baltimore has agreed to complete
construction work associated with increasing the capacity of its collection system
and eliminating physical overflow structures by June 2007. The agreement also
requires the city, pursuant to an enforceable schedule with milestone dates and
stipulated penalties for failure to:
• Perform a comprehensive program to repair and rehabilitate its dilapidated
sewer system to address remaining SSOs
• Eliminate illegal sewer connections
• Effect a complete separation of the combined portion of the system
• Improve its operation and maintenance program
• Implement an emergency response plan
• Update its monitoring and reporting of sewage discharges
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