Baltimore DPW operating at

By Cristina Mendez

Updated on: October 30, 2024 / 11:12 PM EDT / CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore City's Department of Public Works is operating at "historic" levels when it comes to wastewater treatment, according to Michael Hallman, the Deputy Bureau Head of Water and Wastewater.

On Wednesday, DPW held the first of three informational meetings scheduled this year to provide updates about the Wastewater Treatment Plant Consent Decree.

"Our performance is historic at this point," Hallman said. "They've never performed to permit numbers as low as they are currently."

In 2021, the Maryland Department of the Environment found permit violations dating back to 2017 at the two wastewater treatment plants.

State inspections at the time documented pollution, bacteria and nutrients flowing into the Back River, and in turn, the Chesapeake Bay.

"The crux of the problem was actually being able to handle the bio-solids that are inherent within wastewater and our failure to actually process them and get them off our plant, so as they continued to back up, they started to cause problems inside the liquid treatment and that was what was causing our permit violations," Hallman said.

Civil lawsuits were filed, and eventually, an agreement was made for DPW to take corrective actions and pay hefty penalties.

Baltimore resident Kevin Clearly said learning about the improvements comes as a relief.

"People take for granted when you flush the toilet or use your sink, what happens?," Cleary said. "It's out of sight, out of mind. But it's so important that the citizens hold the city accountable for what they do to process the waste."

The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 4, at Cahill Recreation Center from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Cristina Mendez joined WJZ in November 2021 as a multimedia journalist.

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Baltimore DPW operating at "historic" levels of wastewater treatment - CBS Baltimore