Donate to Clean Water Action Support efforts to ensure water that is fishable, swimmable and drinkable for all people in all communities.

#CleanWater is always a top concern, but action often comes only after crisis hits.

We work to stop pollution *before* it starts & hold polluters accountable. 💧

Support that work year-round. Together, we can protect clean water for all.

#EarthDay

“The claim that plastic fields are the only way to provide adequate play space for our children sounds like a compelling sales pitch, but is simplistic and scientifically inaccurate.”

montgomeryperspective.com/2026/04/21/o...

Baltimore City BoE Taxpayers' Night and Zero Waste! Next Wednesday (4/22 - Earth Day!) at 6PM, the Baltimore City Board of Estimates is holding its annual public hearing on next year’s budget: Taxpayers’ Night!

This Wednesday - #EarthDay! - testify at #Baltimore City Taxpayers' Night for #ZeroWaste.

As a result of our advocacy in the budget last year, this year’s budget proposal includes funding for a #compost program, but there's much more to do.

Learn more & sign up: cleanwater.org/2026/04/16/b...

Clean Water's 2026 Priorities in MD's legislative session On Monday, Maryland’s legislative session ended after a whirlwind 90 days. We faced headwinds with a difficult financial picture as Marylanders grappled with the impact of the federal government’s lay...

On Monday, Maryland’s legislative session ended after a whirlwind 90 days. Here is how our 5 priority bills fared.

Thank you for everything you did this year contacting your legislators. We hope you’ll keep standing with us as we keep pushing for change. #mdga26
cleanwater.org/2026/04/16/c...

It's Sine Die and the legislature is still debating whether to require inspections for septic systems! Take action this afternoon:

Right now, in the final days of #mdga26, legislators are debating key elements of HB146 - our priority bill to require septic systems get inspected. #SaferSeptics

Please send your legislators a message today: for safer septic systems, MD needs inspections! cleanwater.org/actions/safe...

Council pushes for native plants, outlaws sale of bamboo Montgomery County unanimously passed legislation that outlaws the selling and planting of bamboo and instead emphasizes natural species.

Bamboo will no longer be sold or planted in the county. Instead, the use of native plants and grasses will be encouraged strongly following Tuesday’s unanimous vote by the County Council. https://bit.ly/3Oo5gQg

Maryland rolls out new paint stewardship program The state plans to collect 350,000 gallons in the first year. The program comes a few months after Illinois launched its own PaintCare system and New Hampshire vetoed a plan for a similar program.

Some good news this month: Maryland's Paint Care program has officially launched! Following #ZeroWaste legislation passed in 2024, Maryland's new program for recycling paint, stain and varnish will divert about 350,000 gallons of waste in its first year.

Earth Month Origins: The Movement That Changed Our Water Forever Each April, Earth Month builds on the legacy of Earth Day, first held on April 22, 1970, when an estimated 20 million Americans gathered in response to growing concerns about widespread environmental ...

Each April, #EarthMonth builds on the legacy of #EarthDay, first held on April 22, 1970. 20 million Americans gathered in response to growing concerns about widespread environmental damage, leading to the creation of EPA in 1970 & the Clean Water Act in 1972!
cleanwater.org/2026/04/01/e...

Join the South Baltimore Community Land Trust April 18 at Unity Hall 11am - 2:30pm

- celebrate accomplishments
- build stronger connections

- AND, raise the funds needed to make the South Baltimore EJ Center a reality!

secure.givelively.org/event/south-...

Getting rid of that old paint can just got easier in Maryland Starting April 1, residents and business owners can drop off paint at solid waste facilities and retail or material reuse stores, or order direct pickup through the new PaintCare program.

Getting rid of that old paint can just got easier in Maryland

Yesterday was the UN International #ZeroWasteDay - don't miss this powerful article from @gaiazerowaste.bsky.social showing that real solutions to our waste crisis already exist, and they must be rooted in #EnvironmentalJustice.

bit.ly/ZeroWaste-EnvironmentalJustice #ThisIsZeroWaste

Maryland's Clean Water Priorities at Crossover On Monday, Maryland passed a critical legislative deadline called “Crossover.” To keep moving forward after this deadline, a bill must have passed either the Senate or the House and crossed over into ...

Just two weeks are left in MD's General Assembly session this year - here's how our Clean Water priorities fared and how you can take action for #ZeroWaste & #SaferSeptics! #mdga26
cleanwater.org/2026/03/30/m...

Pipes, Wipes, and the Potomac: Two Preventable Causes of a Sewage Spill When people hear about a sewage spill, they often assume it’s an inevitability — a pipe that simply failed one day. Sometimes it is a simple act of bad luck or weather. But more often than you might r...

Sewage spills are often avoidable - the January 19 collapse of the Potomac Interceptor certainly was. Read more on our blog about how the sewage pipe "replacement cliff" and "flushable" wipes threaten clean water:
cleanwater.org/2026/03/24/p...

Protect the Toxic Substances Control Act from the Chemical Lobby! The chemical industry is lobbying hard to undermine the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) protections, which bans harmful chemicals and upholds the right of states to implement laws stronger than th...

act.cleanwater.org/page/183420/...

Support the 2026 CHERISH Our Communities Act - Maryland League of Conservation Voters

The #CHERISH Act reflects the voices of communities living with pollution and draws on successful models from other states.

Take Action today and tell your legislators to support the #CHERISH Act SB781/HB1268 and SB780HB1287!

www.mdlcv.org/action-alert...

Non-disposable wipes cause another sewage spill into the Potomac After the sewage spill in the Potomac River a few weeks ago, DC Water began pumping the contaminated water and diverting it to the C&O Canal, but on Sunday, another spill released 600,000 more gallons...

There's no such thing as flushable wipes! 📣📣📣
www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/w...

Support the MD Bottle Bill! Maryland has an incredible opportunity to pass the Maryland Bottle Bill to reduce litter, increase recycling, and save taxpayer dollars - send a message to your legislators and Governor Moore!

#Maryland needs a Bottle Bill!

Tell your legislators we want a #Sustainable economy, where bottles don’t become #Trash 🛑but rather, they become #Resources 👍:
act.cleanwater.org/page/176641/...

For safer septic systems, MD needs inspections! Email your representatives!

We just finished testifying in the Senate for #SaferSeptics - and tomorrow, we'll be back in the House! #mdga26

Tell your representatives to pass this bill to find & fix failing septic systems.

Protect our local streams & drinking water from untreated human waste! #ProtectCleanWater

❗Over 300 state legislators - including @behler-dylan.bsky.social, @dellfoley.bsky.social, & @sheilaruth.com in MD - are pushing back against chemical industry efforts to weaken #TSCA.

The message to Congress: stand with communities, not polluters.

www.saferstates.org/market-and-f...

Join us on Thursday, Jan 29th at 6pm: ZOOM: cleanwater.org/mn-democracy-training #engage #democracy #useyourvoice #cleanwater

NOW VIRTUAL!

Join us Wednesday evening for the 2026 Maryland Environmental Legislative Summit to hear about the environmental community's top priorities for #mdga26 - including the #CherishOurCommunities Act and the #MDBottleBill!

RSVP here for the zoom link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Every year in MD 4 billion+ bottles & cans are tossed, piling up in landfills, spewing toxins in incinerators, or polluting our waterways

Tell your legislators to pass The Bottle Bill to dramatically increase recycling rates and decrease litter and pollution!

act.cleanwater.org/page/165970/...

Clean Water harnesses grassroots power by engaging and mobilizing supporters to become Clean Water Voters by participating in local, state, and national elections and by taking action to protect voting rights and our democracy. What this means in practice involves voting rights, election outreach, legislative advocacy, environmental justice, participating in coalitions, labor unions, and other direct actions.

At Clean Water Action, we firmly believe democracy work, access to clean water, and supporting the human rights of our neighbors are completely interconnected. We cannot accomplish one without the others.

Support the CHERISH Our Communities Act Now more than ever, communities in Maryland that have been overburdened by pollution for too long need and deserve state-level protections. Tell your legislators and Governor Moore to pass the CHERISH...

Maryland can't keep sacrificing communities with more and more pollution. We need to pass the #CherishOurCommunities Act! #mdga26

Take action today - contact your representatives here. cleanwater.org/actions/supp...

Perryman's years-long fight against development now turns to a proposed power plant - Maryland Matters Residents of Perryman, in Harford County, had already mobilized to fight the growing number of warehouses and truck traffic in their neighborhood now face the challenge of a proposed new natural gas-f...

“In the upper end of the county, which they would consider to be God’s country, if they don’t want something … they’ll just shove it down into my district. And I don’t think that that’s right for my constituents.”

Del. Andre Johnson on a proposed new gas plant:
marylandmatters.org/2026/01/19/p...

Dr. King as a Blueprint for Activist Ethnography As a burgeoning anthropologist, I have had to come to terms many times over with the history of the discipline. The use of words like “primitive” or “exotic” used to describe what we see as the “other...

"This quote, among others, highlights Dr. King’s lived understanding that “wait and see” almost never works. It requires bravery, conviction, and sacrifice to create meaningful change."

Read more from Janée Kelly, our Organizational Culture Director: cleanwater.org/2026/01/14/d...

Another 16-year delay to end sewage overflows in Baltimore? Advocacy group says enough is enough | Baltimore Brew The Scott administration says it needs until 2046 to make improvements first ordered in 2002. “Meet the consent decree, don’t just move the goalposts,” Blue Water Baltimore retorts.

Another 16-year delay to end sewage overflows in Baltimore? Enough is enough, say @bluewaterbaltimore.bsky.social and other groups tinyurl.com/bdv3a9xp The @mayorbmscott.bsky.social administration says it needs until 2046 to complete repairs first ordered in 2002 #ConsentDecreeMtgHappeningTonight

Today marks the start of MD's 90-day legislative session. #mdga26

We're working for #EnvironmentalJustice, #ZeroWaste, #SaferSeptics, & #PFAS protections!

Learn more about our top priorities & take action: cleanwater.org/2026/01/14/o...

Support the CHERISH Our Communities Act Now more than ever, communities in Maryland that have been overburdened by pollution for too long need and deserve state-level protections. Tell your legislators and Governor Moore to pass the CHERISH...

Tell your legislators and Governor Moore to pass the CHERISH Our Communities Act in 2026!

‘Pollution is Killing Us’
‘Our Pain = Their Profit’
cc @senbillferg.bsky.social @govwesmoore.bsky.social @mddems.bsky.social

act.cleanwater.org/page/182198/...