MDE issues a pollution violation, but says source of the discharge into Stony Run remains unknown
There was no odor, a Maryland Department of the Environment inspector said, speculating that the source may be a flocculant or coagulant used for treatment of sediment-laden water on construction sites
Above: An inspector’s photo of the white substance entering a tributary of Stony Run last week. The outflow pipe is circled in red. (Maryland Department of the Environment)
State officials say the milky white material observed flowing into North Baltimore’s Stony Run from a city stormwater pipe is a pollution violation.
But they still have not determined what the substance is, or who is responsible.
Both the state Department of the Environment (MDE) and Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW) responded to the scene last Friday after The Brew reported the effluent flowing from a pipe in Wyman Park on the east side of Tudor Arms Avenue.
A report provided by MDE to The Brew today indicates its inspector saw what we did.
She observed the white substance “in the small pools of standing water in the [Stony Run] stream” and then followed the white flow along an unnamed tributary which “led me to the stormwater outfall pipe.”
At the pool below that pipe, she encountered two DPW staffers taking water samples and other measurements.
“The flow of the unauthorized discharge could not be followed upstream past this point,” the inspection report said.
What was the White Stuff?
Was it sewage? Or something else?
The inspector had no explanation, but made these observations:
• There was no odor associated with the discharge and no sheen. “Inspection observed that the white substance was settling in the lower water column, creating a layer of clear water in the upper 2 inches.”
• The water in the stream immediately past the outfall pool was very clear, suggesting that “the white substance is possibly a polymer (flocculant and/or coagulant) used for treatment of sediment-laden water on construction sites. Used properly, the polymer residue would be captured by filtering prior to discharging off-site and would not affect the stream.”
• On the other hand, “the discharge also resembled sediment or concrete wastewater discharge settling out.”
• Conclusion: “At this time, the pollutant could not be identified. The source of the pollution is unknown at this time. Additional investigation will be made.”
The report called the incident a “violation of Environment Article Title 9 by an unknown entity [making] an unauthorized discharge of a pollutant into waters of the State, Stony Run, Use Class IV, confluent to Jones Falls.”
Unnamed Stony Run tributary flowing white due to discharge. BELOW: The pollutant flows into the larger waterway. (Maryland Department of the Environment)
City: Unrelated to “DPW utilities”
On Monday, DPW insisted that the effluent was “unrelated to a discharge from the Department of Public Works utilities.”
“The pipe and discharge is associated with the tributary, not the main stem,” DPW spokeswoman Mary Stewart said.
While MDE noted the white pollutant was pooling in Stony Run, Stewart said that “on Friday, July 24, the stream was flowing clear, and there was no discoloration or odors.”
Stewart went on to say, “The team conducted field tests to confirm any association with sanitary or potable water,” adding that “the Maryland Department of the Environment is investigating and will share their findings at a later date.”
Visiting the site on Sunday, The Brew observed that the white substance was gone, and the waters of Stony Run and the tributary were again running clear.