Patapsco River

Usually it's a glass bottle or an abandoned tire. But workers sorting litter out of the piles of sand and dirt scooped from the bottom of the Patapsco River in South Baltimore this week came across an unusual find - Civil War-era cannonballs. Given the proximity of Fort McHenry, state officials say, it's not uncommon for Baltimore-area barges to return to shore with long-submerged ordnance. But cannonballs are another story. "I've been involved in dredging for 30-some years, and I've seen [munitions]

Time to reclaim river from polluters Kudos to the O'Malley administration, to Shari T. Wilson of the Maryland Department of the Environment and to state Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler for making enforcement of environmental laws a priority in Maryland ("Md. taking on polluters," June 6). For far too long, Maryland has failed to enforce its existing laws, allowing polluters to dirty our water, air and land with impunity. Just look what happened last weekend: We got proof positive of the pollution in our own Patapsco River and in the Baltimore harbor when 7,000 fish died overnight ("Harbor water reeks of dead fish and algae," June 6)

The body of a woman found in the Patapsco River near Middle Branch Park on Dec. 5 has been identified, police said. The cause of death of Tracy Watford, 40, of the 6500 block of Pioneer Drive has not been determined by the state medical examiner's office, said a city police spokesman. Also not known is where, when and under what circumstances Watford entered the water.

SIGNS OF SPRING abound in the Patapsco Valley: Peepers sing in the evening, spice bush and bloodroot bloom, fish are biting, and fishermen are wading into the river to catch them.Trout season opened in the Avalon Area of Patapsco Valley State Park at 5: 30 a.m. March 27. When park ranger Supervisor Fraser Bishop arrived at the gate at 3: 45 a.m., 10 cars were already there.On opening day, 361 anglers came to fish. One man said it took him longer to get into the park than it took him to catch his limit.

Heavy rain squalls and thunderstorms swept across Maryland yesterday, as Tropical Storm Dennis stalled and weakened during its northward trek, flooding low-lying and coastal areas, downing tree branches and causing scattered power outages.After the storm's 14-day dance with North Carolina's coast, yesterday it was Maryland's turn to deal with the fickle storm that forecasters say could produce periods of heavy rain here for two more days.Conditions changed from hour to hour yesterday as bursts of heavy rain were replaced by sunshine, allowing some outdoor Labor Day weekend activities to continue -- while some people kept vigil over rising streams and creeks.

JOE PARKS LOVES plying the open water of the Chesapeake Bay.If he didn't have to report for work with the state's Division of Parole and Probation -- where he manages the cases of offenders who are trying (with varying degrees of success) to stay out of prison -- he would spend most of the year with the gulls and the buoys on the bay.His wife, Betty, shares his enthusiasm.Both are active members of the Patapsco River Squadron, the local branch of the United States Power Squadrons, a national nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to education and safety for boat owners.

Hanover Street between McComas Street and Brooklyn was closed overnight while crews worked to remove about 8,900 gallons of gasoline that spilled into the Patapsco River when a tanker truck overturned about 5 p.m. yesterday on an on-ramp to southbound Interstate 95.Battalion Chief Hector L. Torres of the Baltimore Fire Department said firefighters and crews from the Maryland Department of the Environment were cleaning up the spill.Witnesses told police the tanker, owned by Dana Transportation, whose address was not available, was rocking back and forth on the ramp from northbound Hanover Street before it overturned near the top of the ramp and landed on its right side against a wall.

Real estate agents know it's common for people to fall in love with houses and instantly want to live in them, and the town of Sykesville tends to have that effect on people."

The Chesapeake Challenge offshore powerboat racing series returns to Baltimore tomorrow and Sunday, and race officials said yesterday that they expect thousands of spectators and thunderous competition."

STEPS BEING taken to involve environmentalists in planning the proposed Patapsco Heritage Greenway are, unfortunately, late. Had efforts to reach environmental groups been made when discussions began four years ago, some of the criticism now confronting the proposal might have been allayed. That oversight, however, should not be fatal to a project that could greatly enhance the Patapsco River valley that binds Baltimore and Howard counties.Critics of the proposal must keep in mind that no final decisions have been made.

Those going to this weekend's Fells Point Fun Festival might consider a farewell appreciative look at the Moran tugboats that tie up alongside Recreation Pier at the foot of Broadway. They might not be around next year if this site begins a long-discussed transformation into a waterfront hotel. If an agreement hatched at the city's Board of Estimates goes as planned, Moran could relocate farther down the harbor on Clinton Street out of sight from Fells Point. For as long as I can recall, those dark red tugs have darted around the harbor and tied up here.

Since Tropical Storm Agnes ended its working life abruptly in 1972, Union Dam has stood in the Patapsco River as a broken monument to a bygone industrial era, but it's also an obstacle to migrating fish, a swimming hazard and a potential threat to a large sewer pipe. Its remaining time can now probably be measured in months. Fueled by federal stimulus money, efforts of state and federal officials and river advocates are expected to be realized in the coming weeks with a demolition crew rumbling into Patapsco Valley State Park on the Baltimore-Howard County line to begin dismantling the 209-foot-long concrete hulk.

In 2002, Lisa and Thomas Baum got engaged on a craggy mound of land overlooking the Patapsco River. Today, the couple, three grown boys, a baby son and a golden retriever named Jasmine live together on that craggy mound in the house the couple designed together and called "River Knoll." The name was chosen in honor of two commitments - Lisa and Tom to each other and to the home they treasure. Thomas Baum, a 45-year-old architect and president of Bozzuto Homes, bought the 1 3/4 acres in the historic mill town of Oella in southwestern Baltimore County.

Patapsco River cleanup planned The Friends of Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway is seeking volunteers, with or without kayaks, for a Patapsco River cleanup along River Road in the Ellicott City area from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Experienced kayakers are encouraged to volunteer and must have personal flotation devices. Volunteers should wear comfortable clothing, long pants and hats, and bring sunscreen and insect repellent. Everyone is welcome; children younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

One man was killed and another wounded in a double shooting yesterday afternoon in Northeast Baltimore, and police disclosed that a man whose body was found floating in the Patapsco River early Monday was a homicide. Those deaths bring the city's homicide count to 29 this year, an increase of more than 60 percent over the comparable period in 2008 as police struggle to match last year's 20-year low. At a meeting of criminal justice leaders yesterday, Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III noted that while homicides are up, nonfatal shootings are down by nearly 50 percent.

Sewage overflows in Halethorpe Nearly 9 million gallons of sewage overflowed late Monday and early yesterday into the Patapsco River at the Annapolis Road Bridge in Halethorpe, according to Baltimore County public works officials. Signs have been posted along the Patapsco River downstream from the overflow, warning people to avoid contact with the water, officials said. Anne Arundel health officials issued a warning yesterday, advising people not to swim, wade or otherwise come in contact with water from the river in the Linthicum area.

The paths from the overlook to the water's edge at McKeldin Rapids are steep, slippery and stitched with tree roots. When it rains, the trails create a sluice of brown ooze that fouls the largest whitewater rapid on the Patapsco River and the fishing hole it empties into. "The rapids are a major attraction. Everyone who comes to the McKeldin Area wants to see them," says Amy Lutsko, a ranger at Patapsco Valley State Park, where the rapids are located. "But it's very nasty, not very safe, not the best of situations."

With cameras rolling and reporters scribbling, Gov. Martin O'Malley got down and dirty with a bunch of his constituents Friday morning. He turned over rocks to see what slithered from the gooey underside and cast a wide net to help them find spineless creatures that hid in the shadows. No, Maryland's chief executive wasn't leading a State House tour. He was standing along the bank of a Patapsco River tributary, emphasizing the importance of enjoying the outdoors and being good stewards of the environment.

Gov. Martin O'Malley, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and children from Maree Farring Elementary School kicked off Earth Week by breaking ground yesterday on an environmental education center that will help anchor a $153 million waterfront restoration project near Baltimore's Brooklyn and Curtis Bay communities. The cleanup of 22 acres of shoreline along the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River - one of the most contaminated areas in the city's harbor - has led to recovery by the Maryland Port Administration of 30,000 tons of trash, roughly the same weight as 4,000 buses, including timber, concrete, pollutant-containing electrical equipment, more than two dozen shipwrecks and nearly 200,000 gallons of petroleum-tainted water.

State health officials closed portions of the Patapsco River in Carroll County to fishing and other recreational uses yesterday after more than 10,000 gallons of untreated sewage overflowed into a drain near the Carroll-Howard border. A contractor's backhoe struck a sewer main in Sykesville at 10:15 a.m., rupturing the pipe and sending the sewage into a drain that leads to the river. The rupture occurred along Sandusky Road near College Avenue, where pipes were being installed to connect water mains in the area.