Healthy Harbor Partners

Cleaning up the Harbor and its tributary streams would simply not be possible without the City’s Department of Public Works. The Water and Waste Water Bureau and Solid Waste Bureau are playing key roles in reducing trash, fixing broken sewer pipes, running sewage treatment plants, caring for the aging storm sewer system, and overseeing stormwater management.

The Department of Recreation and Parks manages many acres of forested parkland as well as parks and open space recreational facilities; they also plant the trees and care for the trails and bikeways.

The Planning Department is in charge of the all-important planning and zoning functions, and is overseeing the first update to the zoning code in several decades.

The Sustainability Office is housed within Planning and is implementing the City’s Sustainability Plan, adopted by City Council in 2009.

The Health Department oversees risks to human health and will be responsible for deciding when the Harbor is safe for swimming.

The Transportation Department cares for city streets and has many opportunities to help reduce stormwater runoff from these paved areas.

Blue Water Baltimore uses community based restoration, education, and advocacy to achieve clean water in Baltimore’s rivers, streams, and harbor, so that citizens of the Baltimore region will enjoy a vibrant natural environment, livable neighborhoods, and a healthy, thriving Inner Harbor and Chesapeake Bay.  They work towards a future when our neighborhood streams are safe for fishing and swimming and our clean harbor is the pride of our city.

The Living Classrooms Foundation strengthens communities and inspires young people to achieve their potential through hands-on education and job training, using urban, natural, and maritime resources as “living classrooms.

The Parks and People Foundation is dedicated to supporting a wide range of recreational and educational opportunities; creating and sustaining beautiful and lively parks; and promoting a healthy environment for Baltimore.  Today, they are working in Baltimore watersheds to change the urban landscape by connecting residents to natural resources, which includes creating access points to our urban waterways.

The Mission of the Maryland Science Center is to create awareness in everyone of the importance of science in our lives by engaging them with exciting educational experiences. It is also to motivate our youth to pursue careers in science and technology through community collaboration with academia, government, and industry.

The vision of the Maryland Science Center is to create interest in young people in science by engaging and entertaining them. As one of the most unique and important educational institutions in the region, the Science Center makes science fun; entertainment is the means and education is the end. And because of its well-earned reputation for exhibition excellence and innovative programming, the Maryland Science Center is a national model for “turning on” children to science.

The National Aquarium Institute inspires visitors and partners to celebrate and nurture the world’s aquatic habitats from tropical rain forests to coral reefs; from our Chesapeake Bay to the world’s oceans.  Through pioneering science, conservation, and educational programming, we will confront the pressing issues facing global aquatic habitats. Our legacy to future generations is a world in which aquatic habitats are preserved and restored.

We harness the power of science to transform the way society understands and manages the environment. By conducting cutting-edge research into today's most pressing environmental problems, we are developing new ideas to help guide our state, nation, and world toward a more environmentally sustainable future.