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The Port of Baltimore
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May/June 2014
Environmental Stewardship at the Port of Baltimore
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Green
Port
BY TODD KARPOVICH
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL MCALLEN
Hawkins Point
Benefits
from Forested Buffer
H
awkins Point Marine Terminal is looking greener
thanks to an environmental initiative put forth by
the Maryland Port Administration (MPA).
The MPA moved ahead with plans for a 14.5-acre
forested buffer along the Patapsco River at a closed
Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF).
More than half of the 2,000 trees slated for Hawkins
Point have been planted this spring. The remaining
trees will be planted in the fall. The project is part of
the MPA’s goal to improve water quality around its
facilities.
“The initial proposal was to just have a grassed
open space. However, we saw an opportunity for
improvement,” said Bill Richardson, MPA Environmental
Manager. “A reforestation project would provide an
enhanced wildlife habitat and improve air and water
quality.”
Tree canopies remove green house gases and
produce oxygen. Trees also have a higher capacity to
remove Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) nutrients.
TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a
