A federal judge has endorsed a consent decree to rehabilitate Baltimore’s century-old sewer system, clearing the way for a $1.6-billion strategy to stop millions of gallons of wastewater from leaking into the city’s Inner Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay within the next 13 years. The plan aims to achieve infra- structure improvements that were not completed, as scheduled, under Baltimore’s 2002 consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Baltimore now has until 2021 to complete upgrades to its Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant, including a $430- million headworks project, started this summer. Four 1,000-hp pumps are set to eliminate 80% of the city’s current sanitary sewage overflow volume.