The Baltimore County Council Monday night voted unanimously to call on the Maryland Department of the Environment to reject an application from a White Marsh landfill to dump more of its toxic water discharge into the Bird River.
“An agency charged with protecting the Chesapeake Bay should not endorse the weakening of environmental protection in an area already struggling with sediment pollution,” said Republican Councilman David Marks, who proposed the resolution.
Operators of the Days Cove Rubble Landfill want to double the amount it discharges into the Bird River, to up to 25,000 gallons daily.
The council has no authority in this matter. It’s the MDE’s decision. Council members hope the resolution puts pressure on MDE to reject the application.
According to the Baltimore Banner, the operator of the landfill, which takes in construction materials, has had multiple violations of its current wastewater permit.
At a community public meeting last month in Perry Hall, The Banner quoted Darren Hunt, the landfill’s vice president of operations, as saying, “We understand there’s some concerns and questions that everybody has. I hope that we’ll be able to address all those.”
But Marks called that a half hearted appearance.
“This company still refuses to engage surrounding neighborhoods, community leaders and elected officials,” Marks said.
Theaux Le Gardeur is the Gunpowder Riverkeeper and heads an organization that monitors the health of the Gunpowder and other nearby rivers.
Le Gardeur said there were mistakes made in the landfill’s original application, which means MDE should hold another community public meeting. He has asked MDE for an additional hearing. The council, in its resolution, also asked for an additional community hearing.
Jay Apperson, a spokesman for MDE confirmed the department received Le Gardeur’s request and “will respond in the near future.”
In a letter sent Monday to MDE, County Executive Kathy Klausmeier urged the department to conduct a “rigorous review.”
Klausmeier said MDE could deny the discharge permit because of the landfill’s history of environmental violations.
In a statement Klausmeier said, “Given that there have been nearly two dozen permit violations at this site since 2023, I share the concerns raised by community members about the plans to increase the amount of daily wastewater discharge into Baltimore County’s Bird River.”
