Baltimore residents received an update on the city's decades-long effort to fix its sewer system and eliminate sanitary sewer overflows during an annual meeting held by the Department of Public Works.
WATCH: Baltimore sewer plan eliminates 94% of overflows, short of full goal
The meeting is part of the city's consent decree requirements, which mandate progress reports on the extensive infrastructure project.
Under Baltimore's current plan, the city will eliminate overflows by 94%, falling short of the 100% goal originally established in the consent decree.
"We are being open and transparent that what we originally thought 10 years ago, 15, 20 years ago is not going to be 100%," said Matthew Garbark, director of the Department of Public Works. "And our requirement is 100% and whether it's now or 15 years in the future, that's our commitment, and we're gonna stick to it."
The Department of Public Works has submitted its final Phase 2 plan, which the Maryland Department of the Environment will review to determine if it meets consent decree requirements.
Garbark said an extension may be needed to address remaining issues, though all existing projects will stay on schedule.
The sewer system overhaul represents one of Baltimore's most significant infrastructure challenges, with the city working under federal oversight to prevent untreated sewage from flowing into local waterways during heavy rainfall events.
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