DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS - BUREAU OF WATER & WASTEWATER
CONSENT DECREE OVERVIEW
In September 2002, the City of Baltimore Department of Public Works entered into a Consent Decree with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) to address sanitary and combined sewer overflows associated with the sewer collection system across the entire City. Estimated as a $900M program, the Consent Decree defines multiple remedial measures and initiatives to be undertaken by the City to the completion date in 2016. It also establishes interim milestone deadlines for large-scale measures such as construction projects and comprehensive investigative studies. The remedial measures and initiatives implemented by the City will ultimately contribute to better protection of Baltimore’s harbor, Maryland streams, the Chesapeake Bay, and the property of the citizens of Baltimore.
Significant progress has been made thus far. Since 2002, the City has spent over $330M on construction projects required to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows located throughout the City. Completion of 37 of 39 construction projects has enabled the City to eliminate 58 overflow structures. By doing so, raw sewage is prevented from discharging into streams at these locations during wet weather. The City has also embarked on a comprehensive investigation of the entire collection system. Multiple consultants are under contract to investigate manholes and pipes within the City limits, perform engineering evaluations including hydraulic modeling, and ultimately develop recommendations for system improvements which, once approved by the regulators, will be implemented by 2016.
For more information regarding the Consent Decree and the City’s implementation plan, please view the following documents: