Baltimore Invests Billions to Clean its Waterways

In an article for NPR, Adam Bearne highlights the city of Baltimore’s efforts to clean its waterways and make them safe for swimming.

As Bearne explains, “Baltimore was forced into action by a 2002 federal consent decree. This summer, over two decades later, residents were finally able to dive in.” The city spent billions on upgrading its sewer system to prevent human waste from entering the Inner Harbor.

According to a representative of the Waterfront Partnership, the Inner Harbor is now safe for swimming roughly 80 percent of the time. After heavy rains, sewers overflow and rain washes animal waste and other debris into local streams.

Advocacy group Blue Water Baltimore monitors local water quality for bacteria. “They also check how much nitrogen, phosphorus and oxygen it contains, as well as other measures of the health of the waterways.” A 2023 report from the group found high levels of harmful bacteria in much of Baltimore’s watershed.