Clean Water for Baltimore: Seeking a Solution

By Erika Pietrzak, July 11, 2023

In 2018, over 17 million gallons of sewage overflowed in Baltimore and 25 billion gallons of stormwater runoff, making stormwater runoff one of Baltimore’s fastest-growing sources of pollution.

Every person needs access to clean, drinkable water to live and the lack of access in Baltimore endangers this 62% Black city. This issue was created, in part, because of the redlining plaguing the city’s planning, housing, and public works which led to ignoring the repercussions of that planning. Furthermore, the city’s environmental justice goals are failed each year, particularly affecting Black and less affluent neighborhoods already suffering “from poor water quality in nearby waterways, increased flood volumes, and associated public health impacts and property damage. Though Baltimore’s poor water quality affects all its citizens, majority-Black neighborhoods experience the most dangerous sewage backups.

Yearly, hundreds of millions of gallons of stormwater and sewage mix with nutrients, sediment, and fecal bacteria in Baltimore’s waters, partly due to the sewage’s datedness. Baltimore’s stormwater management is “over-reliant on shortsighted, ineffective solutions,” and, coupled with poor infrastructure and heavy rainfall, toxic sewage backs up into residents’ homes, endangering their health, homes, and finances. In 2018, over 17 million gallons of sewage overflowed in Baltimore and experienced 25 billion gallons of stormwater runoff, making stormwater runoff one of Baltimore’s fastest-growing sources of pollution. Rain pushes bacteria, trash, heavy metals, and other pollutants from the city’s streets and roofs into its waters.

Baltimore is a port city with “a long history of heavy industry, manufacturing, shipping, and transportation.” Its waters are filled with toxic pollutants including chromium, PCBs, chlordane, other organic pollutants, and heavy metals because of the ‘urban water cycle’. More than 55% of rain rushes into pipes that empty directly into its waterways, rather than “being absorbed by soils and plants that transpire that water into the atmosphere.” Baltimore’s pipes were installed in the 1920s and are now crumbling. They are raw, untreated, and carry abundant pathogens harmful to human health. They also run directly beside equally old pipes with raw sewage in them. Yearly, millions of gallons of raw sewage are dumped into Baltimore’s waters. Sewer overflows can be caused by grease balls or debris that back up the pipe system, stormwater infiltration of the sanitary sewer system, and increased rainfall. In one study in 2017, 12 out of 54 locations had sewer overflows that released an estimated 18.2 million gallons of this harmful sewage.

Water quality is determined by measures such as temperature, water clarity, oxygen content, and types of bacteria. We know that water quality is worsening due to humans since the city’s sewage overflows have been directly linked to high levels of sulfate, chloride, bacteria, total nitrogen, ammonia, total phosphorus, phosphate, and nitrate. Baltimore is also particularly poor in conductivity, or “the measurement of the salts and chemicals in [its] streams that could harm fish and other organisms. Stormwater runoff, poor sewage management, and sediment all contribute to Baltimore’s poor conductivity.

Baltimore’s poor water quality is largely caused by the climatic changes that have resulted in increased rainfall. Increased rainfall has occurred due to warmer weather that evaporates more of the water and causes the air to hold more water. Stormwater pollution is particularly harmful when connected to other climate-change-related occurrences. The increase in rainfall infiltrates stormwater into the sewage systems, which may increase sanitary sewage overflows. The impacts of heavy rain have already been seen: heavy rain makes the harbor unsafe to swim in for 48 hours because of stormwater runoff pollution. 

The Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW) must be more willing to grant reimbursements and help its citizens financially. Of the 74 households that applied for reimbursement in 2018 because of sewage backups, only 10 were approved. The DPW is not strapped for money as less than $15,000 of the $2 million budget for reimbursements has been paid out, constituting less than one percent.

Projects like the Expedited Reimbursement Program that help residents with the costs of cleaning up a sewage backup need more funding. This program allocated just $5,000 to eligible applicants for cleanup and disinfecting, as well as program restrictions disqualifying thousands that would have benefited, meaning that many of those in need cannot receive any aid. Lastly, only 74 homes applied for reimbursement despite 4,600 sewage backups because of a lack of knowledge about the program. By increasing funding, increasing outreach, and lifting restrictions, programs like these can create positive impacts after negative events.

In order to reduce stormwater runoff, Baltimore should install green infrastructure and increase funding for programs to aid in this effort. For example, Baltimore can increase its tree canopies to slow down water. Baltimore can also decrease the number of impervious surfaces that prevent rain from soaking into the ground, forcing the water polluted on these surfaces to wash into bodies of water and instead installing more rain gardens to absorb more of the rainwater.

Baltimore also needs to rewrite its storm sewer system permit as it is currently stuck in its ineffective ways “that do  nothing  to reduce the volume of runoff.” Baltimore should change this permit in order to come up with more effective solutions that mitigate the impacts of heavy rainfall that will increase in the years to come. Since replacing the entire system is not feasible, Baltimore should use a series of pumps and tanks to maintain wastewater flow at all times.

Change The Chamber is a bipartisan coalition of over 100 student groups, including undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates.