The state takeover of the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant may not have happened if it were not for the work of a group of concerned citizens in Essex. The Back River Restoration Committee alerted Baltimore-area waterkeepers who, in turn, notified the Maryland Department of the Environment about potentially unlawful discharges coming from the Baltimore City-run plant located in Dundalk. Desiree Greaver and Mike Burt teamed up Monday to patrol the Back River, looking for water quality issues. In November, Greaver spotted the ice-cold Back River water bubbling in several spots. When she looked closer, she saw what resembled feces.
