BALTIMORE, MD (March, 2013) – The Department of Public Works announced that a sanitary sewer overflow occurred today at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Facility. The cause was apparently a contractor error which disrupted electrical service at the plant, disabling some operations for approximately 20 minutes. This resulted in the overflow of up to 1.3 million gallons of partially treated wastewater into the storm drains, and from there into Back River. That amount is about one-half of one percent of the total daily amount of wastewater processed there.
The overflow was stopped after that 20 minute electrical service interruption.
The Maryland Department of the Environment, and the Baltimore County Health and Public Works Departments have been notified of this event. 

For more information about health concerns as a result of the overflows, please visit the Baltimore City Health Department website athttp://www.baltimorehealth.org/water.html.