Dec. 20—By Christine Condon — chcondon@baltsun.com
PUBLISHED:December 20, 2023 at 11:02 a.m.| UPDATED:December 20, 2023 at 6:50 p.m.
The owner of Baltimore's Fleischmann's Vinegar plant said Wednesday that it shut down production there last week, amid a pair of lawsuits alleging the facility polluted the Jones Falls stream on numerous occasions.
The company's announcement came the same day the state announced it was conducting environmental testing at the facility, which could result in harmless red or green dye appearing in the Jones Falls, a tributary to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
In response to questions from The Baltimore Sun about the testing, a spokesperson for the facility's parent company, the Ireland-based Kerry Group, said the plant had stopped manufacturing vinegar as of last Friday.
"The company will transfer production from Baltimore to other facilities as part of a broader consolidation of activity within the network," the statement read. "The company is committed to continuing to work with the Baltimore and Maryland community on next steps for the property."
The company did not respond Wednesday when asked whether the shutdown caused layoffs at the facility. The company did not file notice of layoffs with the Maryland Department of Labor, according to a webpage tracking the notices.
Both Maryland regulators and environmental advocates have sued the vinegar company over pollution from the plant, which stands just north of Cold Spring Lane on the banks of the Jones Falls.
Maryland sued Fleischmann's due to documented pollution incidents that impacted the stream, one of which caused a large fish kill in 2021. MDE's suit, filed in April, pointed to discharges of acidic liquid into the stream, including from a Baltimore City stormwater drain to which the facility was illegally connected. MDE inspectors also observed acidic discharges from the facility's foundation and into the stream.
Local nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore, which reported the 2021 fish kill to state regulators and has conducted its own water monitoring near the vinegar plant showing acidic discharges from unauthorized pipes, filed suit against the company in federal court just prior to Maryland's action.
Angela Haren, a senior attorney for the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, which is representing Blue Water Baltimore in its case, said Wednesday that she was happy to hear MDE was conducting additional monitoring at the facility follow its shutdown.
"I'm happy to hear they're doing dye testing today to determine all of the sources of pollution, and we look forward to working with Fleischmann's and their owners, as well as MDE, to make sure that the site is remediated fully," Haren said.