Baltimore’s largest wastewater treatment plant, on the west bank of Back River, has suffered its second fire within 18 months.
Flames were reported at Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant (BRWWTP) Monday evening, Sept. 15. The Baltimore County Fire Department responded to the commercial building fire in the 8200 block of Eastern Avenue to find black smoke and machinery on fire.
According to the fire department, all employees were evacuated and no one was injured. About 100 firefighters worked to extinguish the fire and put out hot spots. They were expected to remain at the scene of the fire for 3-4 hours. The Baltimore County Fire Department says there were no concerns about hazardous materials and the water supply in the area is safe, though nearby residents did complain about the smell.
It was March 17, 2023, when an explosion and large fire broke out at BRWWTP. It happened in a large industrial building used by Synagro, which converts waste into pellets for agricultural use as fertilizer. That fire came amid a fight over the wastewater treatment plant’s illegal nitrogen-and-phosphorous-laced discharges into Back River, ultimately fllowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
A few months later, Baltimore agreed to pay $4.75 million to settle lawsuits brought by the Maryland Department of the Environment and the nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore over repeated violations at the Back River and Patapsco treatment plants. Blue Water had alerted state regulators to problems at the Patapsco plant, which prompted an investigation and ultimately a temporary state takeover of the Back River facility.
Under the decree, 40% of that sum was to go to environmental restoration projects, while MDE was slated to collect $1.4 million in penalties. The Back River Restoration Committee was the largest recipient of the consent decree funds.
BRWWTP is the largest wastewater treatment plant serving Baltimore, at 466 acres. It serves an estimated 1.3 million residents in a 140-square-mile area of Baltimore City and County. At 114 years old, the plant is currently designed to treat 180 million gallons of wastewater per day. It employees about 300 workers.
