DPW Action Contains Sewage Overflow

Friday Jan 8th, 2016

Green banner with DPW logo and text "Department of Public Works Press Release"

Quick action by Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) maintenance workers diverted and contained a sewage overflow in a heavily wooded portion of Leakin Park the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 7. DPW responded to an ongoing sanitary sewer overflow (SSO), which was running into the Dead Run, a tributary of the Gwynns Falls, near the 1900 block of Eagle Drive.

A Utility Maintenance Division supervisor, Ronald McNair, directed his crew to dig a sump pit where the wastewater stream was collected. The overflow from this pit was then channeled above ground to the next downstream manhole and back into the sewer main. 

These actions resulted in the spill being limited to less than 9,000 gallons entering the Dead Run. On Friday, DPW found two line collapses and permanent repairs are scheduled for early next week.

The stream has been posted with warning signs, and the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Baltimore City Health Department have been notified.
For more information about health concerns as a result of sewer overflows please go to: http://health.baltimorecity.gov/sanitary-sewer-overflows-sso.

Citizens are encouraged to avoid contact with urban streams due to possible pollution.

Baltimore City is in the construction phase of the $1 billion Consent Decree rehabilitation of our sewer infrastructure.

Related Stories

City of Baltimore Releases Independent Review Findings on DPW Heat Safety Practices

Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Khalil Zaied, Director of the Department of Public Works (“DPW”), have  released the findings of an independent review conducted by Conn Maciel Carey LLP (“CMC”), a Washington, D.C.-based law firm, which was tasked with evaluating the heat safety policies, practices and operations of DPW’s Bureau of Solid Waste. The findings from this review will support the Department’s efforts to develop a comprehensive occupational health and safety program to protect DPW employees. 

The Department of Public Works is Now Accepting Public Comment on the Modified Sanitary Sewer Consent Decree Revised Operation and Maintenance Plan

The Modified Consent Decree Revised Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Plan has officially been released by the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) and is available on the DPW website for review and comment in accordance with the Modified Sanitary Sewer Consent Decree (MCD). DPW will accept public comments pertaining to this document for 30 days, through November 16, 2024. Comments may be submitted directly to Michael.Shipman@baltimorecity.gov.

Baltimore City and County Submit Initial Water Service Line Inventory to MDE Part of a Nationwide Effort to Remove Lead Lines from Water Systems

On Tuesday, October 15, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT) submitted their initial water service line inventory to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). This submission is part of a nationwide effort, led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to identify and eliminate lead and galvanized pipes from water distribution systems.

Visit the Newsroom