4M Gallons Of Sewage, Rainwater Overflow Into Jones Falls, Inner Harbor
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Heavy downpours early Monday morning triggered an overflow, sending a massive mixture of sewage and rainwater into Jones Falls.
"This time, we had a combined overflow of 4.1 million gallons," Baltimore Department of Public Works spokesperson Jeff Raymond said.
As usual, it flowed down to the Inner Harbor, and it's not uncommon.
Blue Water Baltimore monitors water quality in the harbor, and according to researcher Alice Volpitta, "I can tell you from experience, we see the impacts from sewage overflows every single time we're out there, be it an algae bloom from excessive nutrients or actual waste water debris from a sewage overflow."
It happens when heavy rain makes its way from storm lines into sewer lines, through cracks and breaks in century-old infrastructure.
"It all adds up as the rain comes down and overwhelms the pipe's ability to handle all that water," Raymond said.
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