Thank you for supporting our efforts to protect the Gunpowder River! We could not have been successful without your generous support. Our work links and protects the forests, the fish and the faucet. Riverkeeper respects the varied economic, recreational and biological aspects of the River. Clean water in the Gunpowder watershed is everyone’s right and as a shared resource must be protected for all.
Unfortunately, we are faced with many environmental threats that harm people’s ability to enjoy the River. The organization works collaboratively and proactively to find solutions to pollution problems and represent member’s interests in protecting the Gunpowder River and its watershed.
We are asking for your support again in 2019 to address these environmental threats:
In the upper Gunpowder, we are reviewing a consent decree between the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Carroll County Bureau of Utilities Hampstead Waste Water Treatment. Riverkeeper is asking for a Special Environmental Project and fines covering violations of the plant’s discharge permit. Meaningful enforcement will mitigate the harm to Piney Run and downstream waterways from excess Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Bacteria.
In the upper Gunpowder River we also tracked violations of the state temperature standard of 68 Degrees in the Gunpowder River that is protective of coldwater habitat for trout and insects. Spillover this year from Pretty Boy Dam resulted in water temperatures at Falls Rd in the Gorge section as high as 77 Degrees Fahrenheit.
In the lower Gunpowder River, we are tracking complaints from waterfront property owners that have reported high bacteria counts and foul smelling odors in the Joppatowne area. We will undertake a compliance sweep of permitted facilities to find the source(s) of bacteria and take appropriate action to protect the tidal Gunpowder.
A few highlights of our work in 2018 include:
Our settlement between MDE and Carroll County for the Hampstead Waste Water Treatment plant addressed upstream water quality for trout in Piney Run and downstream water quality for 1.5 million metro area residents. The agreement included an accelerated 12 million dollar upgrade of facilities, four years of sampling upstream and downstream of the plant and a programmatic change to MDE permitting procedure that increases transparency related to discharge permit violations from municipally owned Waste Water Treatment Plants statewide.
We saw the closure of the C.P. Crane Powerplant’s coal-fired powerplant after pressuring MDE for stronger permit conditions. The plant has been polluting waters of the state since 1961. It has burned 950,000 tons of coal per year, emitting 2.2 million tons of Carbon Dioxide, discharged up to 271 million gallons of water a day and 170,000 gallons of toxic wet fly ash every two years. The waste stream also included total suspended solids 17 times greater than the Bay pollution diet for the entire Middle River segment.
Additionally, the closure of the coal power generation operation will remove tens of thousands of pounds of pollutants including the following pollutants and pervasive metals:
Sulfate 37,852,470 pounds per year
Bromide 677,707 pounds per year
Aluminum 157, 029 pounds per year
Arsenic 22, 000 pounds per year
Copper 27,000 pounds per year
Selenium 55,000 pounds per year
The Terry Newendorp Environmental Scholarship is a gift that was established by Terry Newendorp, an avid fisherman and conservationist who with generosity and foresight knew that; “protection of the Gunpowder River had to come from future generations.” Founded in 2018, the Award’s purpose is to assist college-bound high school seniors who excel in their studies and who plan to use their talents and expertise in the service of environmental protection. Each year, one winner will be chosen from among the current year’s graduating class. The award will provide $1,000 towards college costs for students with strong connections to the Gunpowder River Watershed.
The Gunpowder supports varied recreational interests, habitat for native and wild trout, drinking water for 1.8 million Baltimore-Metro Area residents and important tidal habitat for Rockfish, Perch and crabs. Additionally water touches all of our lives-our brains are 75% water! Riverkeeper protects drinking water, property interests, sensitive species, recreational and aesthetic values.
We need your financial support to keep the River protected now and in the future. Please consider a year-end donation of support to amplify our outreach and advocacy. You may donate at: http://www.gunpowderriverkeeper.org/#support or by sending a check to Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER®, P.O. BOX 156 Monkton, MD 21111
Thank you for your support,
Theaux M. Le Gardeur
GRK is a 501(c)(3) non-profit categorized by the IRS under Natural Resource Conservation and Protection. Your charitable contribution is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. A copy of the current financial statement of GRK is available by writing P.O. BOX 156 Monkton, MD 21111 or calling 410-967-3526. Documents submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from: The MD Sec. of State, State House, Annapolis MD 21401 (410) 974-5534
