WHITE MARSH, MD—Maryland District 7 Delegates Ryan Nawrocki, Kathy Szeliga, and Lauren Arikan have written a letter opposing a proposed discharge permit for a White Marsh landfill.
In August, Gunpowder Riverkeeper reported that the Days Cove Rubble Landfill had applied for a new discharge permit through the MD Department of the Environment.
The letter from Delegates Nawrocki, Szeliga, and Arikan reads as follows:
Re: Opposition to State Discharge Permit 19DP3782 / NPDES Permit MD0071587 — Days Cove Rubble Landfill
Dear Mr. Hlavinka,
We are writing to express our urgent and very strong opposition to the proposed discharge permit (State Discharge Permit 19DP3782 / NPDES Permit MD0071587) for the Days Cove Rubble Landfill located at 6425 Days Cove Road in White Marsh, Maryland.
Our office has been contacted by numerous constituents expressing their deep concern and opposition to this permit, which directly threatens the well-being of our community. As the state delegates representing the citizens most directly impacted by this facility, we share their concerns and urge the Maryland Department of the Environment not to grant this permit.
The proposal would allow the discharge of an average of 12,500 gallons per day of treated liquid waste into a drainage area leading to the Gunpowder River. This river is a vital natural asset for our region, supporting diverse fish habitats, aquatic vegetation, and a wide range of recreational activities, including fishing, boating, and swimming. Approving this application will admit more pollutants to an already struggling ecosystem and undermine efforts to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, a concern that we cannot afford to overlook.
Further, the facility has a deeply troubling compliance record. According to publicly available EPA data, Days Cove has reported numerous permit violations since 2023, including for such substances as arsenic, nitrogen, and copper. Some of these violations were well above the allowed limits; iron exceeded thresholds by over 700%, and suspended solids by over 1,200%. The new draft permit also seeks to weaken prior limits on ammonia and total discharge volume. The EPA cautions against renewing or reissuing permits with weaker standards than before, characterizing it as backsliding. These are not minor issues, and they raise serious doubts that the facility can safely manage additional discharge going forward.
We are also troubled by the fact that the facility’s previous permit expired in 2018 and has been operating on an administrative extension ever since. This is not a facility operating within acceptable environmental or regulatory norms. It is a facility with an alarming track record of pollution that, if left unchecked, poses serious risks to public health, aquatic life, and water quality across the Gunpowder and Bird River watersheds.
We therefore strongly urge MDE to reject this application and instead pursue long-overdue and stringent enforcement action against Days Cove Rubble Landfill for its persistent violations. Denying this permit is the appropriate and necessary course of action to protect the residents in the area, the Gunpowder River, the Chesapeake Bay, and the many people who depend on our waterways and Bay.
