Blue Water Baltimore

What Blue Water Baltimore does

Blue Water Baltimore is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization founded in 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland, that operates as a regional clean water watchdog and watershed protector. The organization was formed through the merger of five legacy grassroots groups (Jones Falls, Gwynns Falls, Herring Run, and Baltimore Harbor Watershed Associations, plus the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper) and serves a population of more than one million residents across 194 square miles and 454 miles of stream within the Jones Falls, Gwynns Falls, Baltimore Harbor, and Herring Run watersheds. Its mission is to restore the quality of Baltimore's rivers, streams, and Harbor through a four-pillar model: protect, restore, respect, and advocate.

The organization's core technical asset is the Baltimore Water Watch data portal, which aggregates ambient water quality monitoring data from 51 stations across the region, building a longitudinal dataset of 193,000+ readings since 2013 that conforms to the Code of Maryland Regulations and the Mid-Atlantic Tributary Assessment Coalition protocol. The Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper program — operated under license from the international Waterkeeper Alliance — provides legal standing to enforce the Clean Water Act, monitor Consent Decree compliance, and pursue polluters. Restoration work is delivered through tree planting (15,500 trees cumulatively), green stormwater infrastructure design and installation, and the Herring Run Nursery, which sells native plants to the public and distributes 1,000 free trees annually. Community-facing products include a pollution reporting system with a 24-hour hotline, an educational blog, the One Water Partnership program for congregations, and annual Water Quality Report Cards.

Revenue is generated through four streams: individual donor-memberships (one-time and recurring gifts, securities, IRA distributions, planned and vehicle donations), corporate sponsorships beginning at $500 per year that bundle team volunteering and lunch-and-learns, institutional grants from foundations and government agencies (including Chesapeake Bay Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Maryland Department of the Environment), and direct-to-consumer native plant sales via the Herring Run Nursery e-commerce storefront. The organization employs 11-50 staff and has engaged 9,600 cumulative volunteers since 2010, with 1,075 volunteers contributing 4,924 hours in 2025.

Name

Blue Water Baltimore

Legal name

Blue Water Baltimore

Website

https://bluewaterbaltimore.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Water Baltimore is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 that protects and restores Baltimore's waterways through scientific monitoring (51 stations, 193k+ readings), the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper program, tree planting, green stormwater infrastructure, and policy advocacy, serving more than one million regional residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water) (EUAHACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stormwater Management & MS4 Compliance Services (BPALAMAL), Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH)

Keywords

• Water quality monitoring
• Watershed restoration services
• Environmental advocacy
• Native plant nursery
• Green stormwater infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership/Donations: Individual donors contribute to the organization. Every donor becomes a member of Blue Water Baltimore. The organization accepts one-time and recurring gifts online, securities donations, IRA charitable distributions, planned gifts, and vehicle donations.
2. Business Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support the organization with sponsorship opportunities beginning at $500, which can include team volunteering and lunch-and-learns.
3. Institutional Grants and Funders: Funding from foundations, government agencies, and environmental organizations including Chesapeake Bay Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and others listed in their annual report.
4. Herring Run Nursery Sales: The Herring Run Nursery grows and sells native plants to beautify Baltimore. They also give away 1,000 free trees annually to Baltimore City and County residents.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Blue Water Baltimore is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that monitors water quality across 51 stations in the Baltimore region, restores waterways through tree planting and green stormwater infrastructure, runs the Herring Run native plant nursery, and operates advocacy and pollution reporting programs. Its core outputs include scientific monitoring datasets, report cards, restoration projects, and the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper legal enforcement program.

Product overview

Blue Water Baltimore is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization that serves as a clean water watchdog and watershed protector for the Baltimore region. The organization operates a suite of interconnected programs: its core scientific work centers on water quality monitoring through the Baltimore Water Watch data portal (covering 51 monitoring stations across 194 square miles), complemented by a pollution reporting system with 24-hour hotline for community incident tracking. Its restoration programs include tree planting and community forestry, green stormwater infrastructure design/build services, and the Herring Run Nursery which sells native plants. Educational offerings include a blog resource and water quality report cards, while the One Water Partnership provides technical assistance to congregations for pollution reduction. The organization does not operate a commercial software product but rather delivers services through programs, physical infrastructure projects, data platforms, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Herring Run Nursery: A native plant nursery operated by Blue Water Baltimore that grows and sells native plants to beautify Baltimore and promote environmentally sound practices.

Products and services

• Baltimore Water Watch
• Herring Run Nursery
• Pollution Reporting System
• Green Stormwater Infrastructure Services
• One Water Partnership
• Water Quality Report Cards
• Outfall Screening Blitz Events

Quantifiable outcome

• 9,600 volunteers participated since 2010
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Interfaith Partners for the ChesapeakecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with Blue Water Baltimore, University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension, and Interfaith Power & Light, launched the One Water Partnership (formerly Blue Water Congregations) to help religious groups develop commitments to reducing pollution. The program engages congregations in environmental stewardship within the Jones Falls Watershed.
• University of Maryland Sea Grant ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the One Water Partnership program providing technical expertise and educational resources to congregations for environmental stewardship.
• Interfaith Power & LightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the One Water Partnership program helping religious groups reduce pollution and develop environmental stewardship practices.
• Waterkeeper AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization connecting Waterkeeper programs worldwide. Blue Water Baltimore is a proud member and home to the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper.
• Waterkeepers ChesapeakecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Waterkeeper organization supporting Chesapeake Bay watershed protection efforts.
• University of Maryland Water Emergency Team (WET)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to inspect and monitor home sewage backups. Contact information available through the University of Maryland.
• Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and SustainabilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for environmental initiatives in Baltimore County.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Direct peer: largest nonprofit dedicated to Chesapeake Bay watershed restoration, operating monitoring, advocacy, and education programs across Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Operates in overlapping Baltimore-region watersheds with similar grant-dependent funding model and regulatory advocacy work.
• Waterkeepers Chesapeake: Direct peer: regional coalition of Waterkeeper organizations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including shared partnership with Blue Water Baltimore. Engages in identical advocacy, water quality monitoring, and Clean Water Act enforcement work.
• Anacostia Riverkeeper: Direct peer: Waterkeeper Alliance member organization focused on the Anacostia River watershed in the DC/Maryland region. Conducts identical workstreams - water quality monitoring, pollution reporting, legal advocacy under the Clean Water Act - in an adjacent Mid-Atlantic urban watershed.
• ShoreRivers: Direct peer: Maryland-based nonprofit (formerly Mid-Shore Riverkeeper Conservancy) operating water quality monitoring, river restoration, and advocacy across Eastern Shore watersheds feeding the Chesapeake Bay. Closest geographic and programmatic peer outside Baltimore.
• Potomac Riverkeeper Network: Direct peer: Waterkeeper Alliance affiliate covering the Potomac watershed, with monitoring stations, citizen science, and Clean Water Act enforcement. Structurally and operationally analogous to Blue Water Baltimore with a different geography.

Emerging players

• Chesapeake Bay Trust: Emerging player / counterparty: Maryland-based nonprofit that funds watershed restoration projects and is a key institutional grantmaker to Blue Water Baltimore. Comparable funding/grant intermediary role in the Chesapeake ecosystem.
• Center for Watershed Protection: Emerging player / enabler: national nonprofit providing technical expertise, training, and stormwater best-management-practices research that informs Blue Water Baltimore's green stormwater infrastructure work.
• Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake: Emerging player: existing core partner of Blue Water Baltimore in the One Water Partnership, working with faith communities on watershed stewardship. Directly comparable faith-based environmental engagement peer.

Broad incumbents

• Surfrider Foundation: Broad incumbent: established national nonprofit with volunteer-led chapters running water quality monitoring (Blue Water Watch-inspired), pollution advocacy, and beach/coastal cleanup. Comparable model at much greater scale.
• Riverkeeper: Broad incumbent: original Waterkeeper Alliance founder organization covering the Hudson River. Operates the same monitoring, legal action, and community engagement playbook that Blue Water Baltimore deploys in Baltimore.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BlueWaterBmore
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlueWaterBmore
• Instagraminstagram.com/bluewaterbmore/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blue Water Baltimore