The Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) is accepting comments on the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Assessment and the Lower North Branch Patapsco Watershed Assessment. The purpose of the assessments is to provide the framework to identify and prioritize best management practices for watershed restoration.

The City of Baltimore’s  Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit requires that the City complete watershed assessments for the entire City. The Maryland Department of the Environment has accepted previous assessments for Back River, Gwynns Falls, and Jones Falls­­ watersheds as meeting the terms of the permit. However, the City still must complete watershed assessments for the Baltimore Harbor and the Lower North Branch of the Patapsco River. The assessments include:

• Watershed characterization, which is an inventory of current watershed physical and social conditions; 
• Identification and ranking of water quality problems, including a description of the total maximum daily loads (TMDL) for the watershed and a prioritization of factors contributing to water quality problems;
• Suitability analysis and identification of priority areas for improving water quality and meeting TMDL waste load allocations, and maximizing other potential benefits associated with restoration strategies;
• Prioritization of structural and non-structural practices, with a recommendation of projects, programs, and partnerships to address the water quality issues.

Comments on the draft watershed assessments are due by December 19, 2018, at 5:00 p.m.

The draft plans, “Baltimore Harbor Watershed Assessment” and “Lower North Branch Patapsco” are available online at https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/regulatory-mandates-plans-and-reports.

To request a hard copy of the document, please contact the Watershed Planning and Partnership Section, 410-396-0732, or e-mail publicworks@baltimorecity.gov (Subject line: Watershed Assessment Request).

In addition, comments can be mailed to:

Baltimore City Department of Public Works

Office of Compliance and Laboratories

3001 Druid Park Drive

Room 238

Baltimore, MD 21215

Re: Watershed Assessment