Plan aims to make harbor swimmable by 2020 - Proposal backs bottle deposits and bag fees, calls on city, Balto. Co. to curb sewage leaks, littering

Seeking to end a long history of abuse and neglect of Baltimore's waters, an ambitious new plan calls for a concerted public and private campaign to curb sewage leaks and littering and make the harbor swimmable by decade's end.

The "Healthy Harbor" plan to be unveiled Wednesday by the Waterfront Partnership — a coalition of businesses, nonprofit groups and city agencies — urges the city and Baltimore County to step up their efforts to clean and "green" neighborhoods, to reduce unsightly trash and to fix failing infrastructure that makes local waters unfit for recreation.