Two downpours on Monday, Aug. 13, resulted in approximately 592,000 gallons of stormwater mixed with sewer water spilling from the sewer system into city waterways. The overnight rain Monday morning resulted in 475,000 gallons escaping from structured overflows, while another 117,000 gallons spilled from structured overflows in the early evening.

The largest single overflow was 208,000 gallons early in the morning from a structured overflow at 1901 Falls Road.

These structured overflow locations were designed as part of Baltimore’s sewer system more than 100 years ago to alleviate the volume when stormwater infiltrates into the sewer pipes. DPW is in the process of eliminating these structures. 

The Baltimore City Health Department and the Maryland Department of the Environment were notified of the sewage releases. 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.

As a reminder, citizens who experience basement sewage backups as a result of rain events are encouraged to take advantage of the city’s Expedited Reimbursement Program (ERP).  This program is to reimburse residents and property owners for cleanup costs related to sewage backups caused by wet weather.  Application and eligibility information can be found at this link: https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/sewer-consent-decree/building-backups. Please note that this program is NOT designed for costs related to flood damage, hurricanes, or other extreme weather events.

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