Pollution and Solutions
Believe it or not, Herring Run is named after the Herring, a fish which once lived and spawned in this stream. As late as the 1920’s fisherman were catching Herring below Pulaski Hwy.
State of Herring Run
- Currently Herring don’t swim or spawn in Herring Run.
- Unfortunately, our stream is so polluted that it is not safe to fish, swim or drink the water.
- In addition, summer floods have killed children in the past.
- We have all contributed to our polluted stream in one way or another, and we can all do something about it.
The stream is polluted by:
- bacteria mostly from Baltimore’s old, leaking sewer system
- nutrients
- sediment
- development and contaminated runoff
- humans
- trash
The fish in Back River are unsafe to eat due to high levels of contaminants. The state Department of Environment makes recommendations on how much of a type of fish an individual can safely consume from polluted waterways.
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