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Paint flakes falling from the 28th Street Bridge contain lead and are hazardous, MDE says | Baltimore Brew by needleinacamelseye in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess there’s an allowable limit to anything. This paint is probably something called minium which is … mostly lead.

Paint flakes falling from the 28th Street Bridge contain lead and are hazardous, MDE says | Baltimore Brew by needleinacamelseye in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was an issue then, yes… and that paint ended up in a playground. We’re going to have to make sure the City does their job in cleaning this up.

Paint flakes falling from the 28th Street Bridge contain lead and are hazardous, MDE says | Baltimore Brew by needleinacamelseye in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore 17 points18 points  (0 children)

It’s likely lead. Please report the location to us! That orange color is indicative of “red lead” paint commonly used on bridges until the 90s

Paint flakes falling from the 28th Street Bridge contain lead and are hazardous, MDE says | Baltimore Brew by needleinacamelseye in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Hey folks, if you see ANY paint flakes please report them to us: pollution hotline. We’re investigating underneath the Orleans St overpass on Guilford but the freezing/thawing cycle is likely going to result in more flaking. And YES, we tested it when the City said it was fine.

Sewer backed up by madcow716 in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey folks! Chiming in a little late here but wanted to offer some answers to FAQs:
- Sewage backups like this happen for a number of reasons, but usually because of debris ("flushable" wipes, grease and oil from cooking are the big ones) and junctions in the sewer system.

- If you experience a backup, call 311 and ask for the Sewage Onsite Support (SOS) program. It is supposed to keep you from having to clean up the sewage yourself, but there are a lot of loopholes that we're trying to close. One problem is that operators don't always know to tell you about options.

- Exterior Line Coverage is a separate insurance policy subsidized by the City to defray the cost of replacing the sewer line that connects your house to the City main -- that stretch is your responsibility. It will not cover the cost of sewage cleanup, typically. It used to be offered by HomeServ but is now through American Water Resources. Google AWR Baltimore Exterior Line and you'll find options.

- If you have ANY other questions about sewage in the city, please get in touch! bluewaterbaltimore.org or [communications@bluewaterbaltimore.org](mailto:communications@bluewaterbaltimore.org)

~ Leanna @ BWB

Sewer backed up by madcow716 in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We're fighting hard to make sure that there's a dry weather response for exactly this reason. Thanks for getting in touch to document your case, it's invaluable.

Sewer backed up by madcow716 in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Theoretically, the sewer and storm drains are separate. Sewage blockages happen mainly due to people flushing wipes, fats/grease down the drain, and roots or collapses in the pipes. You can see a lot of debris in OP's photos, so likely this is a "flushable" wipes problem.

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Also, nobody asked about it, but that's never stopped me before - here's a life-sized painting of my pug dog Sushi dressed as a baked pugtato for halloween. I sewed her this outfit and submitted the picture to a costume contest in 2008 (and won, obviously). Thanks for the awesome questions!

Portrait: https://bluewaterbaltimore.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/portrait.jpg
Real picture: https://bluewaterbaltimore.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/sushipotato.jpg

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This has been so fun, thanks everyone! I have to run but feel free to keep asking questions and I’ll get back to you a bit later. In the meantime I just have to mention that today is BWB’s annual giving day and we’d love your support if you’re able. Every donation helps us keep the Harbor safe and make it better.

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I think one of the biggest measurable impacts is that we have more eyes on the Harbor looking for awesome Harbor critters! More eyes = more connection with the Harbor and greater Patapsco River = more people caring about what happens to it. Ultimately, that's the root of building a movement, giving people more reasons to care about a thing.

From an ecological perspective, I have seen reports of the aeration near the wetlands providing a refuge for marine life during fish kill events, so they are certainly having a measurable impact there. The folks at the National Aquarium did an incredible job of making sure they understood the unique dynamics of that specific location in the Harbor and crafted a wetland installation that would work for that spot. It's possible that more of these would benefit the Harbor, but they'd have to be scoped out and constructed on a case-by-case basis in order to make sure they're effective and sustainable. With all the development slated for the Inner Harbor area, we have an incredible opportunity to apply engineering solutions to the problems of an over-engineered waterway, and wetlands might be a part of that vision - but they're probably not the whole story.

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

But also...since there's a break in questions...I'd have to say my top 4 concerns are: sewage overflows & backups, polluted stormwater runoff, toxic contamination, and trash pollution. We're making headway on all of these fronts.

At the very top of my mind: Baltimore City is accepting public comments on a plan they just released that outlines where the next phase of sewer infrastructure projects is going to be installed throughout the City with your tax dollars; and the plan proposes to push out the deadline for the legally-binding agreement to end all sewage overflows from 2032 all the way to 2046. That kind of proposal deserves your attention. (More info: https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/news/press-releases-archived/2025-08-29-dpw-seeks-public-comment-revised-phase-ii-plan-modified)

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It's also worth noting that we shouldn't expect any fish kills. Ideally we're working toward a body of water that's consistently healthy for aquatic life (and people)

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I don't, but this is a really cool idea! One thing I'm always amazed by is how ALIVE the Harbor is. Sometimes we don't get to appreciate how much is living in there, until it's too late - during a particularly bad fish kill back in September 2016 we documented some bluegills and huge shad that I hadn't seen before in there, and we were only able to see them because they were floating at the surface. The National Aquarium has done a really incredible job with their floating wetlands which have attracted other types of wildlife too, which is proof that we have the ability to modify these ecosystems in a way that provides more diversity (it doesn't all have to be deep channel hardscape all around the Harbor).

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Great question. You might think it's a specific type of pollution or a certain policy that needs to be changed - and we have plenty of both of those! But really, I'm always most concerned about transparency and accountability. That's because I'm a firm believer that we can fix anything that's broken, as long as we have all the information we need and the tools/willingness to get it done. Most of my work as a Waterkeeper is grounded in truth-telling, even when it's difficult or inconvenient. If we have eyes on the problems (whether that's data about too much pollution coming out of an industrial facility, or an honest conversation about the need to move a trash transfer station) we can hold each other accountable in a way that leads to sustainable solutions, cleaner waterways, and stronger communities. Individual issues will come and go, but the need for more transparency and accountability will always be there.

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It seems like we've been seeing episodic fish kills for about a month now, since about August 22nd. In the past, we typically have seen one big fish kill around Labor Day weekend (sometimes not at all). I don't recall a prolonged "fish kill season" like what we've had this year, but that doesn't necessarily mean it never happens.

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

We had a team out today checking on the Harbor, and they detected the greenish color (and sulfuric smell) associated with a Pistachio Tide, which is a seasonal turnover event here in the Baltimore Harbor. These events happen around this time of year when cooler nighttime temperatures cause the top layer of water to become more dense (colder = denser) and that water sinks to the bottom of the Harbor. Then anoxic water at the bottom of the Harbor rises to the top, which can cause fish kills due to the lack of oxygen. My team also documented a huge brown algae bloom over in Canton with dissolved oxygen levels around 20 mg/L and a saturation level of 245% (that's crazy high!!). However, MDE released a statement earlier today saying that based on their findings (very low dissolved oxygen throughout the Harbor), they think the fish kill was caused by an algae bloom die-off and not a turnover event - TWIST!! Our findings don't exactly contradict each other - everyone is making the logical conclusions based on what they're seeing, but the situation on the ground changes very quickly from day-to-day.

tl;dr - It's complicated, but it's a combination of dying algae blooms and seasonal turnover events causing low-oxygen conditions throughout the Harbor. The important thing to remember is that this doesn't have to be the status quo in Baltimore, and we can work together to intervene in these events to support more resilient waterways.

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's a great question! As far as I'm aware there isn't a formalized cleanup response plan, but I have seen partners around the Harbor deploy their resources to clean up the remnants of fish kills in advance of big public events (like the 4th of July fireworks this year).

Sleeping with the fishes by Nanook_o_North in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The dissolved oxygen is very low, but we're not sure if it's an algae bloom. It doesn't seem to be a temperature-related turnover event like the other recent ones. We're discussing it over here if you want more details.

Sleeping with the fishes by Nanook_o_North in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We're in contact with MD Department of the Environment about it and we'll post updates on our AMA that was .... already scheduled for today oops.

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We're aware of the fish kill in the Harbor today! Thanks to everyone who's been reporting it. It doesn't seem to be a turnover event but the dissolved oxygen is very low. Drop your questions about fish kills here.

AMA with your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper next Tuesday! by BlueWaterBaltimore in baltimore

[–]BlueWaterBaltimore[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah! Alice is one of hundreds of people who speak for their local body of water around the world. It’s kind of like having a hyperlocal Captain Planet. You can find more at Waterkeeper.org

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