Baltimore Scrapyard Fined $50,000 For Releasing Toxic Metals Into Patapsco River
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A South Baltimore scrapyard has been fined $50,000 for allowing toxic metals and oil to wash into the Patapsco River.
According to our media partners at The Baltimore Sun, the fine from the Maryland Department of the Environment comes almost two years after officials first found out the company was violating its permits. The Baltimore Scrap Corporation has agreed to spend at least $750,000 on systems to filter stormwater runoff that washes over its property and into the harbor near Fort McHenry.
The company collects and recycles metals at a yard in the Fairfield area. They will also be required to test the contents of its runoff more frequently. Environmental groups say the agreement addressing longstanding hazards to human health and Chesapeake Bay ecosystems. Blue Water Baltimore, a local advocacy group and the Environmental Integrity Project threatened Baltimore Scrap with a lawsuit under the federal Clean Water Act.
The settlement imposes penalties if the scrap company does not keep its promises, including $500 fines for oil or gas contamination and up to $2,750 fines anytime it exceeds limits on discharges of aluminum, iron, lead zinc, and copper.
Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook
