WASHINGTON – A federal judge in Maryland has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated the Clean Water Act by wrongfully denying a petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Blue Water Baltimore, and American Rivers to regulate harmful runoff pollution from commercial, industrial and institutional sites in Baltimore’s Back River watershed.

The ruling will require that the EPA reconsider the groups’ petition and determine whether polluted runoff from commercial, industrial, and institutional sites are contributing to violations of water quality standards.

“The court’s ruling is a step forward in our ongoing efforts to prevent stormwater runoff from polluting important waterways,” said Rebecca Hammer, Deputy Director of Federal Water Policy at NRDC. “We will keep fighting to ensure the EPA considers the evidence we’ve presented on the harmful impacts of stormwater runoff on the Back River,” Hammer added. “We’re hopeful the EPA will make the right decision for the people and wildlife that call this watershed home.”