Essex, Md. (October 9, 2009)—Some 125 County citizens actively participated in a planning meeting this Wednesday evening to develop strategies to improve water quality in Back River.  Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith, officials from the Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management and the Back River Restoration Committee (BRRC) hosted the meeting at the Back River Treatment Facility where they updated people on the development of the Tidal Back River Small Watershed Action Plan and received feedback from the public.

SWAP

A Small Watershed Action Plan (SWAP) is a strategy to restore the waterway and includes County and citizen restoration actions such as waterway clean-ups, tree plantings, proper lawn care, and storm drain marking,

This is the second of three public meetings about the Tidal Back River SWAP. The Tidal Back River SWAP is the County's fourth SWAP. Prior SWAPs included - Prettyboy Reservoir, Lower Jones Falls and the upper watershed of Back River (Rosedale and the Belair-Edison and Hamilton areas of Baltimore City). Although citizen participation for previous SWAPs has been good, this SWAP has generated considerably larger numbers of citizen participants because of their passion for Back River. Most of the participants hail from the waterfront communities of North Point and the Essex area.

Strong Representation

A strong contingent of local elected officials participated in the meeting, including County Council members Joe Bartenfelder, John Olszewski Sr. and Kevin Kamenetz; Senator Norman Stone, Delegates Sonny Minnick, John Olszewski Jr., Mike Wier, Todd Schuler. Jeff Horan attended representing MD Department of Natural Resources. 

Baltimore County recognizes Back River as an asset to the area, providing many recreational opportunities such as canoeing, boating, fishing, crabbing, and bird watching and supporting an important maritime industry. Tributaries and wetlands provide nursery grounds for fish, crabs and other aquatic life, essential for maintaining viable populations. They are also the feeding grounds for waterfowl in the winter. Back River, like all tributaries, feeds the Chesapeake Bay and a clean and healthy Back River will help to boost the health of the Chesapeake.

"These Small Watershed Action Plans are truly partnerships. Without the involvement of a committed community, dedicated to picking up trash, planting trees, marking storm drains, or conducting shoreline wetlands plantings, we cannot keep our environment green and clean," Smith said.

Executive Citation Presented

The County Executive honored Capt. Jerry Ziemski, the founder of the Back River Restoration Committee with an Executive Citation for his dedication and commitment to restoring Back River. The meeting attendees voted to select a promotional catchphrase to symbolize the efforts to restore the river. The slogan, "Scenic Back River - Discover the Hidden Treasure," won overwhelming support from attendees in a show of hands vote.  The group also selected volunteer restoration projects and water quality improvement opportunities.

"Back River is a focal point for the eastside of the County and is one of the main tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay," said County Council Chair Joe Bartenfelder. "I think it makes a huge statement that we are not just cleaning up the river, but are committing to maintaining the improvements long-term."

Major Cleanup

More than 250 members of the Essex and Dundalk area communities participated in an August 29 cleanup of the Back River mud flats, removing 325 tires and 50 tons of trash and debris. Many of these volunteers attended the planning meeting. The Back River Restoration Committee (BRRC) presented the results of the mudflats cleanup at Wednesday night's meeting and a representative from the Maryland Transportation Authority presented an update about the I-95 toll lanes project.