EPA v. BALTIMORE, CITY OF

Case summary

On July 20, 2023, Region III and the City of Baltimore agreed to an Administrative Order on Consent requiring the City to complete work on two of the City's finished water reservoirs, Druid Lake and Ashburton. The AOC superseded a unilateral administrative order (UAO) EPA issued to the City on May 16, 2023, which the City appealed to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The AOC, as did the UAO, requires the City to complete construction of tanks to hold finished drinking water at two facilities, Druid Lake and Ashburton. Replacing the two open-air reservoirs at the facilities with tanks will protect the City's water supplies from threats posed by Cryptosporidium and other microbial pathogens. The work at Druid Lake is to be completed by December 30, 2023, and at Ashburton by November 30, 2023. With the AOC's filing, both parties agreed to dismissal of the City's appeal as moot. Completing the tanks' construction will ensure pure drinking water for communities that score high on the Environmental Justice screening indexes. The Region has discussed the ongoing enforcement action with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and MDE supports this action.

Defendants (1)

• BALTIMORE, CITY OFNamed in settlement

Facilities (2)

• BALTIMORE, CITY OF

  ABEL WOLMAN MUNICIPAL BLDG, 200 HOLLIDAY STREET, BALTIMORE, MD, 21202

  Registry ID: 110008423704

• BALTIMORE, CITY OF

  ABEL WOLMAN MUNICIPAL BLDG, 200 HOLLIDAY STREET, BALTIMORE, MD, 21202

  Registry ID: 110008423704

Statutes cited

• SDWA 1412/1414 — National Drinking Water Regulations

Enforcement conclusions (1)

• BALTIMORE, CITY OFentered 2023-05-15

  Primary law: SDWA

Timeline (3 milestones)

• 2023-05-15Final Order Issued
• 2023-07-20Enforcement Action Closed
• 2023-09-20Enforcement Action Data Entered