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A longtime dumping ground, the destination for trash and debris going back to the time of the Great Baltimore Fire, becomes a waterfront nature center. Newly planted marsh grasses stud the sandy Patapsco River shoreline. A dock beckons kayakers. In the distance, the Baltimore skyline adds drama to the view.
Masonville Cove’s rebirth as an urban community’s gateway to the water and the natural world is nearly complete. It is an award-winning clean-up and transformation, done by the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) under MDE’s oversight.
“Derelict vessels, waste areas, timbers, debris – it was just absolutely a mess,” said Mark Mank, a veteran MDE toxicologist who has overseen the assessment and cleanup of the site. “It had everything."
The MPA, owner of the site and a nearby dredge materials facility, revamped the property as part of an arrangement with the neighboring South Baltimore communities of Brooklyn and Curtis Bay. Trash was hauled away by the ton. Non-native, invasive plants were rooted out, even as native trees were saved. And the contamination wrought by decades of industry and dumping – including toxic metals such as arsenic – was taken out of play.
“That’s one of the most significant cleanups I’ve witnessed,” Mank said.
A dump of historic proportions
WhileMasonville Cove has remained largely undeveloped throughout its history, the site has been the location of illicit dumping and unauthorized fill activities. Cast iron columns and other debris from the Baltimore fire of 1904 are believed to have been hauled there.
Starting in the 1950s, the site was mined for sand and gravel. Unauthorized dumping continued at the site for decades. Materials dumped at the site included dredged material, building debris and assorted trash.
Environmental assessments later showed that the soils at the site were contaminated primarily by heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are chemicals formed during the incomplete burning of fuels, garbage or other organic substances. These contaminants are carcinogens, and they do not break down easily.
A partnership
The $153 million restoration of Masonville Cove is a result of MPA’s creation of a new Dredged Material Containment Facility at the Masonville Marine Terminal. Representatives of Concerned Citizens for a Better Brooklyn and the Brooklyn-Curtis Bay Coalition told MPA that their reasons for supporting the initiative included showing their children the importance of caring for the environment.
An environmental education center opened in 2009 on a bluff overlooking the river and the former dumping ground. The Living Classrooms Foundation and the National Aquarium in Baltimore develop and direct education programs there, and the Baybrook community association organizes family activities.
MPA’s project received accolades, including a 2010 award from the National Association of Environmental Professionals, even as cleanup continued on what would become the site of the nature center. Tens of thousands of tons of debris were removed from the site. At the request of MPA, MDE’s Land Restoration Program provided regulatory oversight.
MDE issued an administrative consent order for Masonville Cove in 2010 to provide structured guidance on how to proceed with the remediation. Additional study led to a cleanup strategy that included: the application of a two-foot layer of clean soil on top of fabric to isolate and cap the contaminated area; shoreline capping, restoration, and stabilization efforts; preservation of viable preexisting native trees; and removal of invasive and non-native vegetation.
The activities outlined for the 36-acre portion envisioned as the nature park were implemented by MPA and their contractors from October 2011 to February 2012. A covenant will outline applicable land-use restrictions and memorialize remedial operation and maintenance requirements to ensure the continued integrity and viability of the clean fill cap. Remedial action is expected on two nearby sections of wetlands that cover a combined 15 acres.
This spring, the new nature center began to take shape. Trails wind along the trees that were saved. Area school students helped to plant thousands of marsh grasses. Though swimming will not be allowed at this time because of concerns about bacteria levels in the river, a dock has been built for canoes and kayaks.
Pending final approval from the Board of Public Works, the nature center is expected to open in September.
“Enjoy it,” said Mank, the MDE toxicologist who helped to ensure the site’s safety. “You’re very fortunate to be on the Patapsco and to have such a great place to use.”
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