Baltimore leaders make moves to block contaminated wastewater from being sent to Back River plant
BALTIMORE - Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott made a major move Monday to block contaminated wastewater from being sent to the troubled Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The City Council has also weighed in on this issue, passing a resolution to urge the EPA to also get involved.
The Baltimore Department of Public Works sent to Clean Harbors, a contractor hired to treat contaminated 675,000 gallons of wastewater coming to the city.
It's coming from East Palestine, Ohio, where a train carrying toxic materials derailed in February.
The letter says Clean Harbors can treat the water here, but it is not permitted to discharge it at the city's Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant.
"This is simply unacceptable and another example of environmental injustice that has negatively impacted our cities for generations," Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby said.
This matter has been a hot topic of discussion since city leaders found out about it on Friday. They say they were given no notice.
City council members took action at Monday night's meeting by unanimously adopting a resolution to urge the EPA to reverse the plan to bring the water to the city.
Councilman Zeke Cohen proposed the resolution.
"To me, it is unfair and frankly disrespectful to the mayor, to the city council to our communities here that this decision was made without our input," Cohen said.
Cohen is worried the city's Back River Wastewater Plant is not equipped to handle all of the water.
There have been problems at the plant over the last year.
It is run by the city, but is under temporary state control due to compliance and permit issues. There was also an explosion at the plant earlier this month.
He's not the only one concerned, Representative Kweisi Mfume also sent a letter to the EPA asking the agency to get involved, citing concerns for the environment and surrounding communities.
"People just thought they could just dump that, run it through Baltimore and it would be okay," Mfume said. "But, they're in for a rude awakening. We don't want that water. Period."
WJZ have reached out to the EPA and Clean Harbors to get responses from them about these developments or an answer to when this water will be coming to Baltimore.
We are waiting for responses back.
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