$#!* Don't Flow Uphill in Ann Arundel County

Stoney Creek Bridge and Marina

 Back-to-Back Sewage Spills Close Stoney Creek Tributary

Two sewage spills in just nine days on a tributary of Stoney Creek have prompted the Anne Arundel County Department of Health to issue a water-contact warning.

And the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is now investigating the overflows.

A feeder stream to Sloop Cove on Stoney Creek is closed for a full two weeks, until Christmas Day. The health department says a sewage spill of 102,900 gallons happened December 9. 3,000 gallons were recovered. Then on December 18, another 100,000-plus gallons spilled into the same feeder stream.

The stream in question is about 3,000 feet from the headwaters of Sloop Cove, in a heavily wooded ravine.

The health department advises people not to come in direct contact with the water, and if you do, to wash well immediately with soap and warm water, as well as wash all clothing. Sewer overflows increase bacteria levels and disease-causing pathogens, MDE says.

Seeing as how Stoney Creek is itself a tributary of the the Patapsco River, Baltimore's favorite watering hole, and a notoriously polluted site, this isn't the most shocking event. But 100,000 gallon spills are large even by Baltimore standards. We're due a good rain tomorrow, which will probably wash it all down into the Bay.