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Basement sewage backups: a public hearing and next steps
Last month, we gathered at Baltimore City Hall with City Council members, community association presidents, faith leaders, insurance and health experts, and people from all across the city who have been impacted by the problem of sewage backing up into their home. This chronic problem impacts thousands of people each year - and as we have learned over the past year, the newest city program intended to help isn't working. Before the public hearing, people from across the city spoke out about their experiences at a rally outside of city hall: please watch and share our Facebook livestream!
The
Replacing a forest with a business park?
In Abingdon in Harford County, a developer has proposed to build a new "Abingdon Business Park:" three e-commerce/warehouse facilities, four restaurants, two flex retail spaces, one hotel, one convenience store and additional flex spaces, requiring the clear-cutting of 226 acres of a 330-acre forest. While sometimes development on forested lands is necessary, the developer has not proven that the negative externalities to the public are outweighed by the benefits, or that they considered putting their project on sites that would have less of an impact on water quality.
Read more about the
4,500+ Baltimore homes had sewage backups last year - but only 10 got assistance
For almost a year, our team has been knocking on doors, visiting community association, and speaking at community festivals in Baltimore City about a subject nobody really wants to talk about: sewage backing up into people's basements. According to 311 call records, this happens to more than 4,500 times in Baltimore City every year, and the results can be severe: thousands of dollars in financial damages, panic and disruption to daily life, exposure to dangerous pathogens, and long-term health risks from mold and mildew in damp, bacteria-infested walls. Read about the kinds of impacts this can
Funding Baltimore's Fair Elections Fund
On September 16, the Baltimore City Council's Judiciary Committee has its hearing on the Baltimore Fair Elections Fund, important legislation to level the playing field for candidates hoping to win local offices in Baltimore. Clean Water Action supports initiatives like this that make our democracy work and help people speak out against developers and polluting industries. Read our testimony below!
September 16, 2019
Dear Baltimore City Council Judiciary Committee,
Clean Water Action is a national environmental advocacy organization with over 11,000 members in Baltimore City. We work for
Victory: Open Space Loophole Closed in Baltimore County
This week, the Baltimore County Council voted to pass Bill 37-19, which closes two loopholes that impacted open space requirements in the county. Previously, developers could count parking lot islands and private amenities towards their required open space acreage. Common sense dictates that little patches of grass surrounded by parking lot and private amenities, like rooftop pools, are not public recreational space.
Councilmen Marks and Quirk introduced Bill 37-19 to close loopholes that enabled developers to shirk their requirements to provide community open space. Residents around