Op-Ed: Could privatization solve the problems at Baltimore’s Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant?

This piece was published in The Baltimore Sun on April 22, 2022. 

When media outlets report that runaway pollution has resulted in dead fish and “volcanoes of black stuff,” it’s easy to point the finger at private companies up to no good. In reality, taxpayer-funded plants and utilities can degrade the ecosystem at significantly higher rates than their private sector counterparts.

Maryland residents are just the latest victims of government entities’ blatant disregard for ecology. The state was recently forced to take charge of the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant (previously run by Baltimore City officials) after inspections revealed hazardous discharges, clogged tanks and filters, and “floating solids” infiltrating waterways. It’s now up to the state to keep all options on the table, including privatization. Officials cannot stand by as Maryland’s waterways are muddied by neglect and incompetence.

The Back River plant has been a sorry sight for years. In 2015, the Environmental Integrity Project documented that faulty piping at the plant was leading to a “massive sewage backup” that “makes the system more prone to overflow into waterways and basements when it rains.” One downstream consequence is the “flooding [of] the Inner Harbor with human waste.” Back River’s reckless operations resulted in rampant nitrogen discharges into Maryland’s waterways — 29% more than permitted by law. City officials approved projects designed to stem the flow of nitrogen and phosphorous into the Chesapeake Bay, but cost overruns totaled in the tens of millions of dollars.

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