5-23-11: Up Herring Run Without a Paddle

Don’t doubt that the actions of one person can create a world of change in Baltimore City.

Last week, someone apparently stuffed an enormous piece of fabric down a manhole. A simple act, but it blocked a sewer line, sending nearly a million gallons of sewage into Herring Run. Needless to say, this is a setback for those who’d like to make the Inner Harbor swimmable.

It’s not the first time littering and dumping has affected Baltimore’s waterways, and it won’t be the last. Is there any way to stop it? And how do we clean up the mess afterward?

Sheilah asks Jason Hessler, Code Enforcement Legal Director for Baltimore’s Housing Department. He’s in charge of investigating dumpers. Also joining the conversation are two representatives of waterway advocacy group Blue Water Baltimore: Environmental Restoration Program Manager David Flores and Deputy Director Halle van der Gaag.

Blue Water Baltimore hosts an Adopt-a-Stream Workshop Tuesday evening at their headquarters on Bel Air Road in Northeast Baltimore. Details and registration information are at the Blue Water Baltimore website.

Web extra: Hear our producer Lawrence Lanahan’s brief interview about the Herring Run spill with Kim Burgess, division chief of the Surface Water Management Division for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works’ Bureau of Water and Waste Water: