Baltimore to Pay $4.8 Million For Wastewater Plant Pollution

Baltimore must pay $4.8 million to the Maryland Department of the Environment for failing to stop two wastewater treatment plants from releasing pollution into nearby waters, according to a consent decree with an environmental group and the state.

Blue Water Baltimore sued the city in 2021, alleging that it violated its Clean Water Act permits by allowing the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant to release pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus. It failed to maintain the facilities and didn’t address their failures in a timely manner, the group said.

According to the consent decree, ...