Opportunity to make a difference

The First part of Wisdom is need to call a spade a spade. Going along with something that is not right eventually will draw you into an uncomfortable position. When we started the Harris Creek Watershed Project,we discovered that Trash Bags that had been inspected by the City Housing Department Code Enforcement Officers were left for weeks before being removed by the Department of Public Works. We cried "foul" and were able to convince both City Departments to do a Major Coordinated Trash Sweep in an area in the 246 Watershed consisting of 4000 homes over a 10 week time period. Our tool was the Service Report that allowed us to pin point the area where the Trash was located. We discovered over 100 mini-landfills in the backyards of vacant houses. Residents would use these spots as Dumps  True,this was behavior that needed to be changed,but the real question is how these dumps were being overlooked by DPW workers. When We made alley rounds with the residents,these mini-landfills were easily seen....but had been ignored and left unaddressed. This DPW practice was pointed out as unfair and an injustice to the Community of the Harris Creek Neighborhoods and raised the question of two different Baltimore services.

In addition,Alley workers had promoted placing Trash Bags at the end of the Alley so that the Trash Trucks could easily pick up the Trash. Unfortunately placing Trash out in Trash Bags only is illegal as they can be easily broken into by rats and present Health Problems. It was for this reason and the injustice in ignoring the mini-landfills that we felt that the residents were owed the 5000 Trash Cans that would prevent this from happening and equal the playing field for Services. We made this recommendation to the Mayor,the City Council and the Departments of Housing and Public Works more than one year ago. There has been no response on this request todate.

 To make things even worse,the Trash Interceptor that was working well when we first started the Watershed Project has been taken over by the Department of Public Works. Maintenance on it has been very poor and as a result the Interceptor has not functioned consistently over the last year.  Even worse has been the poor communication informing us as to what is happening with the Interceptor and who is our contact person.

We have made every effort to communicate with the Department of Public Works on solving the Trash Problem,not only in the Harris Creek Watershed,but also in the Baltimore Harbor. This successful Watershed Project, that reduced significantly the Trash going into the Baltimore Harbor from 5 Tons to less than one Ton each month, could easily be duplicated in the the other 26 inlets to the Baltimore Harbor.... and one day lead to a Safe and Clean Inner Harbor that becomes swimmable and fishable.    It has been over a year and we are losing momentum to carry forth this Golden Opportunity to Clean up our Baltimore Harbor. We can not understand why the Teamwork needed to accomplish this mission can not come about.   Our Councilperson James Kraft has brought us to City Hall on two occasions to encourage this Development...but so far,little has happened. We find this totally unacceptable,but we remain committed in our Vision to clean up the Baltimore Harbor.        Respectfully,Raymond D.Bahr MD  

Breakthrough in Cleaning Trash from the Baltimore Harbor 2011

When you are up to your rear with alligators,it is difficult to be receptive to "breakthrough" information that is around you.......so it is with Baltimore City Services.  Tourists see Trash in our Inner Harbor all the time and think less of Baltimore because of this ugly mess.  Trash is a form of Pollution that carries with it Health risks as well. We learn from early up from our Parents that "dirty" water is contaminated with germs that can cause illness if exposure to it takes place.  We spend a lot of time and energy in cleaning up the Trash when it gets into the Harbor,but we miss out on the opportunity to prevent this from happening by not taking meaningful steps to address this upstream.  Upstream? this sounds like a river!  Yes,it is a river at times. 70% of Baltimore is in concrete or asphalt....... and rain water ,especially when it comes down fast,floods the streets and washes whatever is on our streets (trash) down into the inlets at the ends of the street down into our Harbor untreated. Yes,we can carry out projects that put a lot of this rainwater into the ground,but that will leave the Trash still on the streets of Baltimore unaddressed.


The Harris Creek Watershed Stormwater Project just completed a Major Trash Sweep in a targeted area within the Watershed (4000 houses) and located over 100 large accumulations of Trash (min-landfills) in the backyards of vacant houses. These were reported as Service Reports (SRs) to the Department of Public Works and within a short period of time these accumulations were cleaned up. This was accomplished over a 10 week period of time (June 16,2010 thru August 31,2010). Most importantly,this reduced the Trash going into Baltimore Harbor from 5 Tons/month to less than one Ton/month.     This,then,is the "Breakthrough" we have been waiting for....... We now know where the Trash in the Harbor is coming from.........We have located this Trash......We have worked with Community Leaders to get behind City Services to come and clean this up..........and,as a result of this effort, we have shown a significant reduction of Trash going out into the Harbor......Thus,.we have Identified a Successful Model in one Watershed....that now can be duplicated in the other 26 watershed outlets to the Baltimore Harbor.......We now can see a way (Vision) that we can have a Safe and Healthy Harbor that is fishable and swimmable within our Lifetime.

This has now been present twice over the last year to the Baltimore City Council in the presence of the Baltimore Department of Public Works.  This is the Breakthrough that we have been waiting for.   The Opportunity to do something meaningful about the Trash in the Baltimore Harbor is now.  The only aspects missing are the Vision to see this.......the Tenacity to stay on the mission..... and the Resolve to make it happen,       

            Respectfully,Raymond D.Bahr MD.