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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
The Baltimore City Council investigates sewage floods
"Raw sewage is bad for human health - this is universal." -Chris Heaney, Associate Professor for Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University On Wednesday November 13th , I attended a hearing that the Baltimore City Council's Land Use Committee held for Resolution 19-0159, an investigation into sewage backups into buildings and the city's Expedited Reimbursement Program, set up to assist residents with the costs associated with sewer backups. The backup of sewage into Baltimore homes is a big problem, and only increasing with factors such a climate change causing more
Mold in housing in Baltimore City
On November 12, the Baltimore City Council held an informational hearing about mold in housing in Baltimore City. Council members heard from city agencies, housing activists, and community residents about the negative health impacts that mold can cause, particularly to people already dealing with health problems, and programs to address mold problems in public housing, rental units, and private homes. As the City Council wrote in its call for the hearing, Mold is a health danger to many vulnerable populations. It grows where there is moisture; walls, ceilings, carpets, tile, or furniture can
"Closed Means Closed:" the 311 system in Baltimore City and pollution
On Thursday October 22 at 2:00 pm, I attended the Baltimore City Council committee’s hearing on Bill 19-0163R, an informational hearing 311, the language behind closure of a service request, and improvement of the 311 system. The hearing began with Councilman Pinkett showing three examples of illegal dumping where the service request for them had been closed, and the site inspected, yet the garbage dumped was still present. These were exhibited as examples of a large problem in Baltimore--- service requests filed through 311 are being closed while left unaddressed. Pinkett called for the
Touring the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant
On October 15th, I visited the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant on a tour with Baltimore Heritage. Though the plant was originally constructed in 1940, the iteration that exists today was finished in 1985 and treats wastewater: 90% from households, and 10% from industrial sources. This wastewater comes from South and West Baltimore city, along with Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Howard Counties. The plant is 68 acres and has the capacity to process 63 million gallons of water a day and has a four stage treatment process, from preliminary, to primary, secondary, and tertiary. How does the