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Monday, September 28, 2015

Poultry industry squawking again

Who says city sewer problems aren't getting addressed? Only the poultry industry claiming to be hen-pecked aga

In a recent letter to the Sun, a spokesperson for the Delmarva poultry industry, Bill Satterfield, claimed that environmental advocates have been "strangely silent" concerning Baltimore City's sewer overflow problems ("If chicken houses are bad for the bay, Baltimore sewer pipes are worse," Sept. 23).

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, as the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, my job is focused entirely on stopping pollution from entering Baltimore's waters, and Blue Water Baltimore has been a persistent watchdog over the city's troubled sewer infrastructure since our founding in 2010. We have and will continue to use all tools at our disposal — including legal action — to ensure that the city meet its obligations to reduce stormwater and sewage pollution and achieve water quality standards.

Nobody could claim that the chicken industry is silent, however, as its spokespeople take any opportunity to blame the Chesapeake Bay's woes on anything — the Conowingo Dam, for example — that distracts the public from the 228,000 tons of excess poultry manure that is spread on Eastern Shore farm fields each year.

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Instead of constantly shifting blame, let's instead focus on the shared responsibility that we all have in the Chesapeake Bay cleanup effort. In order to clean up the bay and our local waters, we will need to reduce pollution from all sectors, including urban sewer overflows, suburban stormwater runoff and rural agricultural pollution." David Flores.

So, NOT anything about Pennsylvania's Conowingo Dam that is responsible for HALF the Bay Pollution, David? The stupid Rain Tax isn't doing the job, so blame the farmer who has restricted and remodeled to new regulations for 20 years while the Conowingo did nothing?

You need to go back to school on this, and a different one than you've been going to at that.

Anonymous said...

Last time I crossed the Conowingo Dam I was driving on a MARYLAND HIGHWAY .When did we give it to Pennsylvania?

Anonymous said...

Has anyone actually looked at the Baltimore Harbor lately? Baltimore City is meeting the standards they set for EVERYTHING? The Conowingo Dam is just a distraction? And they want to blame chicken sh*t. Must be products of public education.

Anonymous said...

Save the bay , let's spend another trillion ,this will fix it , let's set up a staff to figure this problem . Let's be part of the problem , not the solution. Oh Barbra , you got to be one dumb a$$ political figure.

Anonymous said...

TRUE, the Dam is in Maryland but it holds back waters from the Susquehanna River....which comes from PA.