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Maryland Gov. Hogan asks to meet with Pennsylvania officials after report on Harrisburg sewage pollution

Brown water rushes through open gates on the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River after a week of rain.
Jerry Jackson / The Baltimore Sun
Brown water rushes through open gates on the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River after a week of rain.
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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has requested a briefing from Pennsylvania officials after a report released Thursday detailed a surge in sewage pollution washing down the Susquehanna River into the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland environmental officials said they also want to discuss broader concerns about Pennsylvania’s efforts to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay. They asked representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, responsible for guiding states’ bay cleanup efforts, to attend.

“The Governor wants us to get the facts from Pennsylvania and EPA and keep pressing hard for more progress,” said Ben Grumbles, Maryland’s environment secretary, in a statement.

An Environmental Integrity Project report said Thursday more than 1 billion gallons of sewage-tainted water flowed into the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg’s antiquated sewer and stormwater system. The Washington and Austin, Texas-based group faulted Pennsylvania officials for lax efforts to prevent the pollution.

Pennsylvania, meanwhile, is a frequent target of criticism from Chesapeake Bay advocates, who say the state isn’t doing its part to reduce the amount of farm fertilizer, sewage, sediment and other contamination washing into the bay. The Susquehanna, which drains a watershed that covers much of Pennsylvania, is the main source of fresh water for Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake.

Pennsylvania officials could not be reached Friday for comment. A spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday the administration “understands the importance of finding ways to minimize the effects of stormwater discharge into our waterways.” He cited efforts to reduce runoff around a complex of state buildings in Harrisburg, and to offer grants to help make similar improvements elsewhere around the Keystone State.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation officials said Friday that Pennsylvania should be pushed to improve what it called “lackluster” pollution reduction efforts. But they also said Maryland should be doing more to reduce some types of bay pollution that continue to increase, including runoff from pavement as development spreads and contamination from septic systems.