The following article has been submitted by District 6 Delegate Bob Long about the infestation of midges in eastern Baltimore County
Summer should be a time of relaxing and enjoying the outdoors.
Unfortunately, once again, our community is dealing with an infestation of midges.
Our office has received many complaints from people experiencing the effects of this nuisance insect. It is more than an annoyance; they are taking over some communities.
These insects are greatly impacting both residents and businesses. I have seen houses that are coated with this bug causing residents to not want to leave their homes.
This will no doubt cause loss of revenue to businesses. This issue requires immediate attention.
In recent years, the area was sprayed with an insecticide called Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis.)
This project, which was a partnership between
Maryland Department of Agriculture and Baltimore County was successful in the past,but it hasn’t been effective so far this year.
I attended a meeting last week with representatives from the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability to address our midge problem.
The County reported that they are spraying around Back River. They normally do five treatments during the year and now they have two treatments left.
They said the heavy rain resulting in lower salinity is a cause of the midges. There may be some truth to that, but we also need to consider the problems that we have dealt with in the past too.
At the meeting, I expressed concerns regarding the maintenance of the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant. I was told the plant was in full compliance.
I am not too quick to accept this statement. Past lawsuits and fines from 2023 have proven otherwise.
The state paid $1 billion dollars in upgrades to our waste management system recently and the City let it fall into serious neglect due to mismanagement.
We cannot afford to put money in this Plant without stricter oversight.
Currently, the residential areas surrounding the plant are malodorous. I would like a third-party inspector to perform a thorough investigation.
The source of the midge problem may be at the treatment plant. Our community deserves transparency and accountability regarding the environmental concerns in the district.
I have followed up my concern on the Federal level. I believe the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant is in violation of the Clean Water Act.
The Plant was found in violation back in 2021. Having an independent third party to provide an evaluation will help address any issues that need to be resolved.
I will maintain contact with state and local government leaders until the midges are reduced to a manageable level and we can once again enjoy our water-oriented communities.
