DPW Reports Sanitary Sewer Overflow

Monday Jul 3rd, 2017

Green banner with DPW logo and text "Department of Public Works Press Release"

A sanitary sewer overflowed into the Jones Falls at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, July 1, following a period of heavy rain.  The incident lasted for thirty minutes with a total release of 25,819 gallons of diluted sewer water.

This incident occurred underground in a structured overflow under North Charles and West Lanvale Streets, and did not spill onto any streets.  Structured overflows were designed into the City’s sewer system more than 100 years ago to provide such releases when the sewers become inundated with rainwater. They are being eliminated as the capacity of Baltimore’s sewer collection and treatment systems are upgraded under the City’s sewer system consent decree.

The Baltimore City Health Department and the Maryland Department of the Environment were notified of this overflow.

The public is reminded to avoid contact with urban waterways due to the risk of pollution. For information about health concerns as a result of sewer overflows please go to http://health.baltimorecity.gov/sanitary-sewer-overflows-sso.

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