Patapsco River Closed by Sewage Discharge: Anne Arundel County

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A sewage overflow into the Patapsco River has prompted the Anne Arundel County Department of Health to close a section of the waterway to swimming and other direct water contact, officials said Wednesday.

The river area is closed to the public from the Howard County line to the Baltimore City line along River Road, the Patapsco Valley State Park, and Belle Grove Road. Health officials said the emergency closing was caused by a large-volume sewage overflow in Howard County at the Sylvan Lane, Sucker Branch Tributary at the Patapsco River.

Signs have been posted warning of the closure. Click here to see public notice from Howard County.

Health officials say anyone who comes in contact with the affected water to wash well with soap and warm water immediately. Clothing should also be washed.

For more information on the status of the closing, visit the Department of Health website or call the Water Quality Line, 410-222-7999.

Subscribers to the Department’s Recreational Water Quality E-mail Alerts will receive an e-mail notifying them when the waterway has been reopened. Alerts can also be received via text messages by following the Department on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aahealth_water.

»Photo of Patapsco Valley State Park, from Department of Natural Resources