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The Dripby Brew Editors4:50 pmAug 3, 20160

Nearly 6 million gallons of city sewage overflowed in storm

Most flowed into the Jones Falls, Baltimore officials said

Above: The Jones Falls, after Saturday’s storm, was swollen with rainwater, sewage, sediment and trash. (Fern Shen)

Baltimore officials today released the total amount of sewage-saturated rainwater that overflowed into local waterways as a result of Saturday’s powerful storm – about 5.8 million gallons, with all but 10,000 gallons of it flowing into the Jones Falls.

The rest overflowed into the Gwynns Falls.

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UPDATE: An additional 54,000 gallons of sewage overflowed Saturday as a result of the 7/4/16 sewer collapse on West Mulberry Street, DPW officials reported today, August 4.  The overflow entered storm drains which lead to the Harbor, the city said in a release.
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All the sewage, according to the Department of Public Works, was released via so-called “structured outfalls,” pipes that serve as a sort of relief valve for the city’s aging sewage system during times of heavy rain.

Under the terms of a 2002 federal consent decree that expired on January 1, Baltimore had agreed to end the practice of releasing raw sewage into waterways through these structured outfalls.

But after 14 years – during which the city spent $700 million and tripled water and sewer rates – less than less than half the promised repairs were completed and the sewage continues to overflow.

The specific date for stopping the overflows was to be 2009.

Under the proposed renegotiated consent decree disclosed in June, these intentional releases of human waste would continue for another six years, until July 1, 2022. Meanwhile, the full set of clean-up requirements would not have to be met by Baltimore until 2030.

Raw Sewage Breakdown

DPW spokesman Jeffrey Raymond provided The Brew with a detailed breakdown of Saturday’s overflows, noting that most of the human waste that was released (about 5.3 million gallons) overflowed at the two largest structured outfalls.

About 2.2 million gallons overflowed at 1900 Falls Road (Sanitary Sewer Outfall 67) and about 3.1 million gallons overflowed underground near 428 East Preston Street (Sanitary Sewer Outfall 72), Raymond said.

The remainder was released via structured outfalls at five other locations: West Cold Spring Lane and Ayrdale Avenue, West Garrison and Queensberry avenues, Charles and Lanvale streets, Charles Street and Lafayette Avenue and 3100 Liberty Heights Avenue (this is the location that flows into Gwynns Run.)

The sewage flowing into the Jones Falls winds up in Baltimore Harbor and, ultimately, Chesapeake Bay.

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