baltimore’s trash tmdl: cause, effect and recommended...
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Baltimore’s Trash TMDL: cause, effect
and recommended actions for all the
world’s port cities
6IMDC – San Diego, CA -- March 13, [email protected]
Photo: R. Summers
Baltimore
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Baltimore Trashed
Page 4-1, Healthy Harbor Plan for Baltimore, MD – Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Inc.
Cause
From “Pogo” by Walt Kelly
Cause
Page 4-3, Healthy Harbor Plan for Baltimore, MD – Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Inc.
Baltimore Trash Reduction Studies
▪ Baltimore Harbor Trash Report (Moffatt and Nichol, 2006)
▪ Middle Branch Patapsco Trash Management Plan (Coastal Estuarine
Hydrology & Hydraulics Engineers, 2007)
▪ Harris Creek Small Watershed Action Plan (Center for Watershed
Protection, 2010)
▪ State of Baltimore Harbor’s Ecological and Human Health (Wicks
2011)
▪ A Healthy Harbor Plan for Baltimore, MD (Waterfront Partnership of
Baltimore, Inc. 2011)
▪ Upper Gwynns Falls Small Watershed Action Plan (Morton Thomas
Associates, Inc. 2011)
▪ Total Maximum Daily Loads of Trash and Debris for the Middle
Branch and Northwest Branch Portions of the Patapsco River
(Maryland Department of the Environment, 2014)
Clean Water Act TMDL
Requirements
▪ Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) directs each state
to identify and list waters that do not meet water quality standards.
▪ Each state is required to either establish the total maximum daily load
(TMDL) that the waterbody can receive without violating water quality
standards.
▪ CWA permits must be consistent with the TMDL.
Photo: Tom Sprehe
Maryland Water Quality Standards
▪ The waters of this State may not be polluted by any material, including
floating debris, oil, grease, scum, sludge, and other floating materials
attributable to sewage, industrial waste, or other waste in amounts
sufficient to:
• Be unsightly;
• Produce taste or odor;
• Change the existing color to
produce objectionable color for
aesthetic purposes;
• Create a nuisance; or
• Interfere directly or indirectly with
designated uses;
Code of Maryland Regulations 26.08.02.03
Photo: Baltimore City WIP, Page 20
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
▪ To address trash and debris
impairment to the shoreline of
the “Middle Branch from the
mouth (Ferry Bar Park to
Harbor Hospital Center)
extending westward and the
Northwest Branch from the
Hull Street Pier to Canton
Waterfront Park.”
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
▪ The source of the trash causing
the impairment is primarily
generated in the upland
watershed.
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
▪ All three contributing
watersheds are highly
urbanized, with mainly
residential and commercial
areas.
▪ The northern portions of both
the Gwynns Falls and Jones
Falls include forest and crop
land.
▪ The combined population of the
three watersheds is
approximately 725,000
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
Data inventory:
▪ Baltimore City stormwater
outfall monitoring
• Five locations sampled every 2 –
4 weeks
• dry weight of the trash was
measured and recorded
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
Data inventory:
▪ Baltimore County stormwater
facility and stream monitoring
• 20 in-stream sites
❖ All trash was collected within the
bankful 500 ft. reach
• 17 randomly selected stormwater
management facilities
❖ trash was collected within the fenced
boundary of the facility
• Dry weight determined for 5
categories of trash
❖ plastic bottles; glass bottles, aluminum
cans; other; and dumping
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
Baseline Loading rates:
▪ Point sources• items that are generally considered too large to move through the storm drain
system
▪ Nonpoint sources• items that would generally be able to move through the storm drain system are
considered part of the baseline point source load.
▪ Baseline loads do not include natural debris, such as sticks and leaves.
Photo: Tom Sprehe
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
Point Source Baseline Loading rates:
▪ Trash data was normalized by
precipitation
• stormwater runoff is main vector for
trash entering storm drains and
streams.
▪ For each monitoring site and
event
• loading rate = total weight / total
acreage x total precipitation
▪ Average annual loading rate
based on 30-year average rainfall.Baltimore City WIP, page 22
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
Baltimore City point source baseline loading rate
7.88 lbs/acre/year
average of monitored stormwater outfalls.
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
Baltimore County point source baseline loading rate
average of monitored stormwater facilities,
segregated by dominant land use.
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
Nonpoint Source Baseline Loading rates:
▪ only items that are too large to enter
the stormwater system through street-
level storm drains
▪ all nonpoint source loads have the
potential to impact the impaired
shoreline
▪ loading rate = total weight / total
acreage x number of days sampled
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
Nonpoint source baseline loading rate of
0.51 lbs/acre/year
average of 11 monitored sites.
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
TMDL Allocations:
▪ TMDL is equal to 100 percent removal of the annual
average baseline load
• Trash removal processes already in place are included in the
baseline (e.g. street sweeping, trash nets, and community
cleanups).
▪ TMDL is expressed as the ADDITIONAL quantity of
trash that must be captured or removed for the
waterbody to achieve the narrative criteria.
• Trash may be removed from anywhere within the watersheds
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
= 410,530 lbs/yr
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
▪ Ongoing programs, policies and regulatory mechanisms:
Municipal Operations
▪ solid waste management
▪ regular trash collection
▪ single-stream recycling
▪ special collections for
household hazardous waste
▪ litter control, street sweeping
& storm drain cleaning
▪ Trash interceptors in streams
▪ enforcement of litter and
trash dumping regulations
Baltimore City
▪ Harbor cleaning: fleet of trash
skimmers, booms and nets
▪ Watershed 246 Management Plan
Baltimore County
▪ Small Watershed Action Plans
▪ Clean Green County Program
Both
▪ 2002 Baltimore Watershed
Agreement, renewed in 2006
▪ Maryland Green Schools Program
Baltimore’s Trash TMDL
▪ Stormwater (MS4) permits issued to City and County
▪ Federal Clean Water Act requirement
▪ Within one year of permit issuance
• requires an inventory and evaluation of current trash and recyclable
pick-up operations, litter control programs, and public outreach
efforts.
• Identification of opportunities for improving overall efficiency
▪ Develop and implement a public education and outreach
campaign
▪ Report annually on progress toward implementing the trash
reduction strategies,
• including personnel and financial resources expended and the
effectiveness of all program components
Baltimore’s Trash WIP*
*Watershed Implementation Plan (2016)
▪ Developed in compliance with MS4
Permit
• “Installing debris collection projects in-line
and at the end of pipe to capture trash within
public storm system;
• Employing a variety of operational programs,
such as mechanical street sweeping,
preventive inlet cleaning, and routine
waterway cleaning; and
• Fostering partnerships to encourage litter
reduction and increased recycling, coupled
with an increase in environmental
stewardship within the communities.”
Baltimore’s Trash WIP
Challenges:
▪ 16,000 vacant buildings
▪ highest concentration of vacant
properties within the TMDL
boundary
▪ Vacant properties often are
locations for illegal dumping of
trash and larger debris, including
contractors and unlicensed
private haulers who do not want
to pay a tipping fee to dump at a
legal collection point.
Baltimore’s Trash WIP
Challenges:
DPW identified 12 trash hot spots along the Gwynn’s Falls and Jones Falls streams with accumulations of bottles, styrofoam containers, and plastic bags.
Baltimore’s Trash WIP
Baltimore City WIP, Page 39
Photo: DPW
Baltimore’s Trash WIP
Baltimore City WIP, Page 39
Baltimore’s Trash WIP
Baltimore’s Trash WIP
Baltimore City WIP, page 47
Baltimore’s Trash WIP
Annual Reporting
“The Bureau provides curbside trash and recycling pickup including bulk items and seasonal waste for 640,000 residents in approximately 210,000 households citywide.”
https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/solid-waste
Trash collection
“As part of the ongoing effort to keep our neighborhoods and waterways cleaner and healthier, Baltimore City has provided a Municipal Trash Can to every residential address receiving trash collection by the City.”
https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/solid-waste/cans
Providing municipal trash cans
Nearly 171,000 cans distributed to households beginning in March 2016
Recycling
Recycling
Street Sweeping
• The street sweeping program expanded in April 2014 to include all city streets outside of the downtown and central area.
• In FY 2016, DPW‐ Bureau of Solid Waste removed 12,143 tons of debris while sweeping 111,435 miles of street surface. (DPW MS4 Annual Report)
Photo: Baltimore City DPW
• “In May 2016, DPW completed the installation of screens and inserts for 414 inlets to improve the efficiency of inlet cleaning and street sweeping by preventing trash and debris from entering the storm pipe system.”
(Page 27, Baltimore City MS4 Annual Report -Reporting Period: July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.)
Inlet Cleaning
Photos: Baltimore City DPW
“DPW has taken steps to make it easier for small commercial haulers to properly dispose of trash to improve their efficiency, reduce instances of illegal dumping, and help keep our City clean.”
https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/small-hauler-program
Small Haulers Program
“The Baltimore City Clean Guide was made by neighbors for neighbors. This guide gives residents more detailed information about trash removal, recycling, and rat prevention.”
Mayor’s 2016 Fall and Spring Cleanups:• 652 communities participated
(historic high)• 12,752 residents volunteered
(historic high)• 234.8 tons of trash was collected
(Page 34, FY 2016 City MS4 Permit Annual Report)
Citizen Education
Enforcement
Harbor Cleaning
“The City employs a fleet of thirteen boats to collect approximately 400 tons of debris from the Harbor each year. The Marine Operations Section utilizes the boats to collect floating debris and trash in the water. The boats include four skimmer boats, six bass boats, one skiff, and two whalers.” (page 45, Baltimore City Trash WIP)
Photo: R. Summers
Mr. Trash Wheel
▪ Floating trash directed by
booming system to water
wheel conveyor
▪ Trash directly deposited
by conveyor into roll off
dumpster
▪ Patented technology
▪ Developed by Clearwater
Mills
▪ Owned and maintained by
the Waterfront Partnership
of Baltimore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5l7s6wC50g
Professor Trash Wheel
Photos: R. Summers
http://baltimorewaterfront.com/healthy-harbor/water-wheel/
Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore
How it works:
Containment booms
stretch across the river
and the trash-filled
current is funneled
along the boom to the
Trash Interceptor.
Stormwater flushes floating trash from the
watershed and carries it downstream towards
the Inner Harbor.
How it works:
➢ The conveyor lifts the trash out of the
water and drops it into a dumpster.
Conveyor and Rake System
➢ The rakes, powered via the wheel, bring
the trash funneled by the river and booms
onto the submerged bottom end of the
conveyor.
How it works:
Waterwheel and Drive
➢ Waterwheel uses energy from the river flow and the sun to provide
mechanical power for the conveyor and rakes.
How it works:
Solar Panels
➢ Solar panels provide
power which is stored in
the batteries to power
pumps.
➢ The full dumpster is taken to a boat
ramp where a truck exchanges it for an
empty one
How it works:
Advantages over Traditional Technologies
▪ All floating trash is captured
▪ Efficient – depending on current, can collect up to 50 tons/day
▪ Very low cost – operates independently during low flow periods or with a crew of 2 during storm events
▪ Green Technology -- water current and solar panels as power source
▪ Detachable floating dumpster barge allows use of existing shore facilities
▪ Continuously removes trash, 24 hours – 7 days a week
▪ The stronger the current, the faster it works
▪ Boom can be lighter and less costly due to continuous trash removal
▪ Durable Steel Construction – it lasts many years.
▪ Can be towed and installed at another location if trash removal priorities change
Results achieved in Baltimore’s
Inner Harbor
4/30/14
4/21/15
Results achieved in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
4/30/14
4/21/15
Results achieved in Baltimore’sInner Harbor
4/21/15
4/30/14
www.bmorebeyondplastic.org
Citzen Action:
Baltimore Beyond Plastic
Blue Water Baltimore
https://www.bluewaterbaltimore.org/
http://baltimorewaterfront.com/
Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore
2016 Healthy Harbor Report CardWaterfront Partnership of Baltimore
http://baltimorewaterfront.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1704_HH_ReportCard_FINAL-web-nospreads.pdf