Thanks for Sapna Bansil at the Baltimore Banner, Natalie Jones at the Baltimore Sun, and John Lee of WYPR for their coverage of the latest update for the Days Cove Rubble Landfill. In what many are seeing as victories for the public and the environment, the operators of the landfill have removed their request to double the amount of leachate they discharge. Natalie Jones references Jay Apperson, spokesperson for the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) who said:
“That provision of the proposed permit… has been withdrawn by the operator.”
Sapna Bansil’s article includes a statement from Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Gregg Bortz who said,
“DNR remains committed to closing and capping the rubble fill in 8 years or less, as the current proposed lease would do. The draft lease includes specific language that would not enable it to be renewed as it had been under previous administrations. We want to make sure the lease provides a seamless transition of the property into public use.”
Bansil’s article also references a copy of the agreement obtained by The Banner which reads:
“The operator, Days Cove Reclamation Co., may continue to accept waste at the facility for five more years. It must then spend up to three years capping, closing and restoring the site as recreational parkland, or face a penalty of $5 million.”
The matter was withdrawn from the agenda during the Board of Public Works meeting on December 17th we believe due to the flood of comments received in the last hours of the comment period on December 16th. The lease will likely appear back on the agenda on January 8th.
Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER® still has concerns about the past and future compliance with the amount of discharge and monitoring thereof of the site and its potential environmental effects. John Lee also references Jay Apperson’s comments on the discharge where he states:
“The landfill is in compliance with its current permit. There is no evidence that the discharge is harming aquatic life or interfering with recreational use of the river.”
Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER® takes issue with this statement as according to the EPA ECHO database, in the reporting period from 7/1/2025 through 12/19/25, the facility has reported exceedances of 179% over permit limits for Iron and 29% over permit limits for Total Suspended Solids.
Thanks to everyone who submitted one of the over two hundred comments and thirty-five pages of emails to the Board of Public Works to share their concerns on the future of the landfill and the surrounding parks and waters.