Environmentalists Oppose Dike in Middle River

If a proposed dike is built in Middle River, environmentalists warn that the results would be disastrous: Commercial and recreational watermen would lose 2,000 acres of prime fishing area, migration of crabs into the Gunpowder River would be blocked, and waters in eastern Baltimore County would suffer additional environmental damage from runoff.

A meeting Thursday night is scheduled to give the public a say in determining where best to dispose of dredging material from the Baltimore Harbor. 

The Harbor Team, a 29-member advisory committee the Maryland Port Authority created in 2003, is considering a proposal to create a “Hart Miller Island II” dike in Middle River to hold the material.

Continued dredging is necessary for the region to continue to provide easy access for the growing number of cargo and cruise ships that do business at the Port of Baltimore.

Currently, the Harbor Team is searching for a location for the next disposal site since the original Hart Miller Island dike closed after full capacity was reached in 2009.  The Harbor Team is currently researching 11 possible sites, a list that has been culled from 23 potential locations.

Local watermen and members of the Marine Trades Association were informed of this recently. The group met with Harbor Team facilitator Chris Correales to discuss the process and other possible solutions to the dredging issue.

Capt. Jerry Ziemski, president of the Back River Restoration Committee, said building another dike in Middle River would have a severe negative impact on the local environment.

“The person or organization that proposed ‘Hart Miller Island II,’ a second dike to be built on the north side of the existing dike, apparently have no idea the multitude of problems this will create,” Ziemski said in a statement. “Middle River is one of the busiest rivers in the state of Maryland for boat traffic. The navigational hazard alone should make anyone think twice.

“This proposed dike would block most of the mouth of the Gunpowder River, thus creating a severe tidal flow problem, not just for the Gunpowder, but for the Seneca, Middle and Back Rivers," according to the statement. "Commercial and recreational crabbers would lose 2,000 acres of prime fishing area, not to mention the fact that the dike would block the migration of crabs into the Gunpowder."

Ziemski continued: “We cannot afford another environmental impact of the magnitude the second dike would create. Water quality will never recover enough to meet the federally mandated standards for 2020. The proposed ‘Hart Miller Island II’ project must not move forward.”

The Harbor Team that will ultimately make recommendations on these proposals is scheduled to have an open comment meeting from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 8201 Eastern Ave., to hear input from Marylanders who may be impacted by the suggested sites.