Page 22 - Port of Baltimore March April 2013

[20] The Port of Baltimore ■ March/April 2013
A s every school child in the
region knows, water that
runs into a storm drain or
meanders down a local
stream eventually reaches
the Chesapeake Bay.
The MPA spent the better part of 2012
benchmarking its stormwater infrastructure
with respect to established Total Maximum
Daily Loads (TMDLs). TMDL numbers
reflect the maximum amount of pollutants
a body of water can receive and still meet
water quality standards. An executive order
signed by President Barack Obama in 2009
to restore and protect the Chesapeake
Bay mandated that pollution-reduction
practices must be in place by 2025, and
at least 60 percent of the required action
must be completed by 2017. The primary
focus is on three pollutants: nitrogen,
phosphorus and sediment, although others
can be included for individual waterways;
for example, TMDLs for trash and debris
have been developed for the Middle Branch
of the Patapsco River.
The issue that most concerns the
MPA is stormwater runoff, since the MPA
maintains its own Municipal Separate
Stormwater System (MS4) permit, which
regulates the storm sewer system and is
issued by the Maryland Department of the
Environment. Year-long planning efforts
included surveying existing stormwater
controls, delineating drainage areas,
modeling existing sediment and nutrient
loads and estimating reductions from the
existing control methods. The next step was
to analyze potential stormwater retrofits
and nonstructural methods for the 10
marine terminals and properties owned by
the MPA.
The good news is that the MPA
already had been experimenting with and
establishing best management practices —
such as separators, filters, street sweeping
and bioswales — to reduce pollution. The
MPA has also worked offsite, replacing
pavement at local schools with permeable
green surfaces, to offset its need for paved
areas.
The pollution load from MPA terminals
and properties is less than one-half of one
percent of the bay’s total TMDL, but the
MPA is committed to reducing it.
“Knowing these pollution-control
requirements are coming, we’re looking for
the most cost-effective, efficacious way to
By Sea
The Port area has benefitted
from pollution-reduction
practices around the
Chesapeake Bay, as well as
completion of a sophisticated
stormwater vault at Seagirt
(above) and storm drain
cleaning.