It’s easy to lose sight of a watershed if you can’t see it.
That’s exactly what happened with much of Harris Creek, at least in these parts. The Harris Creek watershed actually covers a geographical area from Clifton Park all the way down to the Inner Harbor (its north/south boundary) and from Johns Hopkins Hospital to Patterson Park (its east/west boundary).
And not that Harris Creek hasn’t been important to the city — in fact, it was the site of a number of essential boatyards that supplied not only the jobs but the sailing vessels that kept Baltimore a vital and essential port of call. The Constellation and any number of clipper ships were built here, and all were used in the War of 1812.
So Harris Creek has played a key role in Maryland’s history, not to mention that in the larger contest of the United States.
LET’S CLEAN IT UP-Dr. Ray Bahr, president of the Harris Creek Watershed 246 Project, would like to see the trash interceptor near Boston Street doing less of a job, perhaps collecting less than three to five tons of trash a month. (Photo by Mary Helen Sprecher)
Problem is, says Dr. Ray Bahr, who is in charge of a volunteer effort to raise awareness of, and clean up, the watershed, not that many people know about Harris Creek these days. After all, it’s largely under houses, roadways and parkland.
“About 70 per cent of that is impervious surface now,” Bahr notes. “And when you have stormwater runoff, it goes into the drains at the end of the streets.”
From there, stormwater travels along a series of underground conduits and exits at the Harris Creek outfall, located right next to the Anchorage Towers along Boston Street. A trash interceptor there acts in a manner similar to a giant strainer, collecting the accumulated garbage that goes down storm drains and under the streets.
Each month, between three to five tons of trash is collected in the interceptor. And that, according to Bahr, is just far too much.
As one of the leaders of the Harris Creek Watershed 246 Project (246 is the actual GIS number of the watershed), Bahr is determined to help raise awareness of the plight of Harris Creek and of the need to keep trash off the streets and out of its waterways.
To this end, HWC has received grant funding from the Department of Public Works, as well as from other sources, and is working on engaging the 20 communities that border Harris Creek, and on educating their residents about the need to restore the health of the waterway.
“You can look at the trans interceptor now,” says Bahr, hanging over the railing near Boston Street and gazing down. An almost solid wall of plastic bottles, cups, styrofoam clamshell food containers and other refuse bobs below him. A lonley mallard weaves his way through the trash.
“The mallard is like a canary in a coal mine,” says Bahr. “We know if we lose our mallard…” his voice trails off.
The mallard picks at some food left on a clamshell container and Bahr sighs. “It’s just embarrassing to have people come and see this.”
What Bahr and other volunteers would like to do is generate an awareness of the importance of keeping trash out of the streets, and out of the water. This would reduce the load on the trash interceptor, leading to less debris, fewer toxins and overall, healthier waters. Maybe even some day, there will be fish swimming in the Inner Harbor.
“We’re trying to put together a strategy,” says Bahr. “If we can get the communities educated and knowledgeable, then we can make it so that we can reduce the trash that is going in upstream. Maybe we get less than three to five tons of trash. Maybe we get it down to two tons, or one ton. Let’s see if we can reduce it to even less than that. You can have a cleaner Inner Harbor. We can bring back Baltimore by improving the water quality.”
At this point, the Harris Creek Watershed 246 Project is working on volunteer recruitment. All those with an interest are welcome. Contact can be made with the organization by going to its website, www.baltimorewaters.org, or to harriscreekwatershed.blogspot.com.
Another step in consciouness-raising is a walking tour of the 1780 Harris Creek area. (The second website can provide complete directions and a full list of historical attractions). The self-guided tour takes less than an hour, and with the weather improving, according to Bahr, is a great way to see the Southeast through new eyes.
“It calls attention to a gem — the history of an area that a lot of people are not aware of,” says Bahr. “You have these young people who have moved into an area, and they have their parents over to visit, and this is a way they can take them around the area and show it to them.”
Intergenerational, eco-friendly and historic. That’s three good points, according to Bahr, who is, according to the website, “passionate about social justice issues, leading to peace for all.”
The cause, he says, fits his style. As a retired cardiologist, he has spent a lifetime keeping individuals’ hearts healthy, their blood flowing and their bodies functioning. The watershed, he notes, is something like that. It’s an indicator of the city’s health, and keeping it clean and free-flowing leads to better overall condition.
“It’s not so different,” he muses. “Not so different at all.”
Note: To learn more about the Harris Creek Watershed 246 Project, or to become involved, go to www.baltimorewaters.org, or to harriscreekwatershed.blogspot.com.
—by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com
