The first annual public meeting to discuss Baltimore City’s Modified Consent Decree for the sewer collection system is set for Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, at 1800 Washington Blvd. in Baltimore. The meeting is free and the public is invited.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with an overview of the work covered by the Consent Decree, especially work over the past 12 months. Visitors may also gain more information about specific parts of the Consent Decree by speaking with experts from the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) at individual learning stations set up in the meeting room. Topics to be covered include preventive maintenance programs, the Headworks Project, and future plans for enlarging selected sewer mains.

The initial Consent Decree expired on Jan. 31, 2016.  Following extensive discussions with state and federal regulators, an extended public comment period, and additional months of negotiations, the Modified Consent Decree was entered in U.S. District Court on October 6, 2017. The annual public meeting is a requirement of the Modified Consent Decree.

The information presented at the meeting, as well as public comment collected during and after the meeting, will be made available on the DPW Sanitary Sewer Consent Decree webpage.

Baltimore citizens and others interested in learning about the Modified Consent Decree may learn more by visiting publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/sewer-consent-decree. Visitors to that page may also sign up for email notifications of important developments in the course of the Consent Decree.