Page 16 - Port of Baltimore Jan/Feb 2011

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MPA’s Environmental Stewardship > > > > GreenPort
BY TYKIA MURRAY
Port P2 Committee
Outlines Key Tactics
For the past five years, the Port
Pollution Prevention (Port P2)
Committee has made environ-
mental management best practices its
business. Coordinated by the Maryland
Port Administration (MPA) Safety,
Environmental & Risk Management
(SERM) Department, the group consists of
representatives from the MPA operations,
security and environmental departments,
as well as several tenant representatives
including Ports America Chesapeake,
Ceres Marine Terminals, AMPORTS,
BalTerm, Marine Repair Services of
Maryland and others.
The Port P2 Committee meets twice
annually to discuss tactics for spill
control and response and stormwater
management strategies. “We look forward
➌ Develop, implement and maintain a
program to identify and eliminate
unauthorized storm drain system
connections and non-stormwater discharges
to the maximum extent practicable;
➍ Follow Code of Maryland Regulations
(COMAR) regarding sediment and erosion
to control construction site runoff;
➎ Install post-construction stormwater
management for stormwater discharges
from construction sites exceeding 5,000
square feet; and
➏ Implement and maintain pollution
prevention and good housekeeping
techniques and procedures to reduce
pollutants from all facility operations.
“The Maryland Port Administration and
its tenant partners are working pro-actively
to understand and respond to the
emerging requirements for restoring the
Chesapeake Bay,” explained Barbara
McMahon, the MPA’s Manager of SERM.
“Taking the steps now to understand how
coordination within various operations
on the marine terminals can reduce the
amount of stormwater pollution will be an
KATHY BERGREN SMITH
to the meetings with Port tenants,” said
Bill Richardson, Environmental Manager
for the MPA. “They allow us to evaluate
and measure our current activities and
set objectives and targets for pollution
prevention.”
At its most recent meeting in November,
the Port P2 Committee discussed ways
to control pollution that may enter the
Chesapeake Bay from the marine terminals.
The committee proposed meeting this
challenge using six key tactics:
➊ Develop educational outreach
programs that contain information about
the impacts of stormwater discharges on
receiving waters, why controlling these
discharges is important, and what MPA
personnel can do to reduce pollutants in
stormwater runoff;
➋ Elicit public involvement via a
multi-pronged participation program;
POLLUTION PREVENTION
IS GROUP’S PRIME OBJECTIVE
The MPA’s Bill Richardson and
Barbara McMahon keep tabs on a stormwater pond.
management at the Port.