Baltimore City could soon regain control of troubled water treatment plant

State management of the troubled Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant could end in as little as five weeks, an official from the Maryland Department of the Environment said during a community meeting Tuesday night in Essex. The plant, which is owned and operated by Baltimore City but located in Baltimore County, has complied with its environmental permit for the past seven weeks following months of pollution overages, said Lee Currey, director of MDE’s water and science administration. If the facility stays in compliance for five more weeks, the Maryland Environmental Service — which took over the troubled plant in March at MDE’s behest — would have to leave unless the city asks it to remain, per an agreement reached between the two parties last month.