Overview
- Neighbors say a strong putrid smell from the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant is disrupting daily life and causing gagging, preventing time outdoors, and raising breathing and health concerns.
- The Maryland Department of the Environment has pointed to operational failures at the plant, including excess sludge stored in lagoons, as likely contributors to the odor.
- Baltimore’s Department of Public Works has hired outside engineers to run an odor dispersion analysis and other on- and off-site assessments, with results expected by the end of the year or early January.
- DPW is also rolling out immediate fixes at the plant such as testing three-stage odor scrubbers, using odor neutralizers at the gravity sludge thickener, and removing temporarily stored lagoon material for off-site disposal.
- Local leaders and residents are pursuing pressure tactics including coordinated property tax appeals and possible lawsuits while seeking intervention from MDE and the EPA, and the upcoming engineering report will shape next steps and potential regulatory action.