SPARROWS POINT, Md. — Community leaders and environmental advocates are demanding that Tradepoint Atlantic use hydraulic dredging to protect local waterways from industrial waste, according to a press release from the Sparrows Point North Point Historical Society.
Concerns are growing that the company’s current mechanical dredging methods could release steelmaking industrial waste into the Patapsco River Basin and Upper Chesapeake Bay, undoing more than 50 years of restoration efforts.
“The health of our communities and the Chesapeake Bay cannot be compromised for industrial shortcuts,” said Keith Taylor, president of the Sparrows Point North Point Historical Society. “Hydraulic dredging is the only responsible option to safeguard decades of environmental progress in Maryland.”
New bore samplings at Coke Point reportedly show elevated toxin levels five feet below the surface. Community leaders are also questioning recent modifications to Tradepoint Atlantic’s dredge material containment site, claiming that a 12-foot revision to the original proposal should have triggered a permit amendment.
Advocates said they have documented proof that the company is not fully disclosing its sample findings to the public. If Tradepoint Atlantic does not agree to use hydraulic dredging, they said they are prepared to seek a court injunction to protect public health and the environment.
A press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at the Balco Club, 9318 Todd Ave, Fort Howard, Maryland.
Photo by Jonathan Borba from Pexels
