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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