Drinking Water

Dr. M. Gordon "Reds" Wolman, an internationally acclaimed geomorphologist and former longtime chairman of the department of geography and environmental engineering at the Johns Hopkins University, who was an outspoken advocate for a clean Chesapeake Bay and protection of the state's water resources, died Wednesday at his Mount Washington home. He was 85. Dr. Wolman's family declined Friday to release a cause of death. "With unparalleled personal and professional commitment to our natural resources and our environment, Reds pioneered actions on geologic and water quality issues including sediment, shore erosion control, oyster restoration and groundwater," Gov. Martin O'Malley said in a statement released Thursday.

Ribbons of hard-packed dirt with nicknames like Sam's Grave, Seminary Loop and Ewok stitch the woods around Loch Raven Reservoir, a training ground for world-champion mountain bikers and urban warriors for more than a decade. But city officials want to halt off-road use by bikers and others trying to reach the water's edge, saying the activity increases erosion and runoff into the reservoir and makes water treatment more expensive. Six watershed rangers have been hired this year with seven more on the way whose duties include enforcing a 10-year-old policy that requires bikers to stay on maintained fire roads.

This week, Watchdog brings you an update on a still-unresolved problem. Update:: Watchdog reported in July about the fountain in the middle of Druid Lake, which at the time had not been working for at least a month. The fountain had been featured in Watchdog in 2007, when a lightning strike blew out its electrical system. That came after a $700,000 renovation in 2004. And then this year, as the fountain turns 50, Reservoir Hill resident Michael Baseman once again noted the absence of the streaming water, which he particularly enjoyed at dusk or before sunrise, when illuminated by colored light.

President Barack Obama may have made history last November, but he seems deaf to history's loudest call right now. The president clearly believes that health care reform, above all else, will define his early presidency. But even if Mr. Obama scores total success on health care, few future Americans will care or remember as long as the Earth's ailing atmosphere goes untreated. Climate change, it turns out, is the ultimate public health issue. And yet the House of Representatives passed a mere band-aid of a bill last month on global warming.

The same pollution afflicting the Chesapeake Bay's fish and shellfish poses human health risks to people in the region, from bacteria and harmful algae in the water to contaminants in fish and drinking water, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation says. In a report released today, the Annapolis-based environmental group said the incidents of infection and illness among people who swim and wade in the bay's waters warrant greater government action to protect the public from pollution. "Dirty water doesn't only have an economic impact, it's got a human health impact as well," said William C. Baker, foundation president.

Maryland was handed nearly $122 million Tuesday from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fund drinking water projects and improve water quality as part of the federal government's latest round of stimulus spending. The stimulus effort, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was advanced by President Barack Obama to jump-start the economy by improving the nation's infrastructure and creating and saving jobs. The money has begun steadily flowing to states through a variety of programs that are expected to improve roads and schools, as well as waterways and other programs.

The public works director in Annapolis ought to investigate what substance has infiltrated the city's drinking water supply that caused so many to so easily lose their sense of propriety. Little else could explain how lawmakers in the state capital rarely comprehend how their behavior might seem if not downright unethical then at least ethically challenged. As our colleagues at The Washington Post recently reported, the House of Delegates' Ways and Means Committee held an "invitation only" St. Patrick's Day party at its offices organized and paid for by Ocean Downs Racetrack and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

For the past eight months, Luke Brackett has been part administrator, part lone ranger. Hired by Baltimore City in November to spearhead the creation of a new police force to protect the three city-owned reservoirs in Baltimore and Carroll counties, Brackett spends part of his days patrolling the watersheds and part interviewing applicants interested in joining his force. "I'm tasked with bringing the department to life," Brackett said. "We're still getting our feet wet, no pun intended."

You can easily spend $4 or more for a gallon. Yet you feel you can't live without the stuff. But it may be time to explore alternative sources. We're referring, of course, to that great lubricant of modern life: bottled water. (What, you had some other expensive liquid in mind?) Maybe oil and water don't mix, but that's not to say they don't affect each other. The economy is sagging, and high gasoline prices are taking much of the blame. When filling up the minivan sets you back $75, there's an inclination to cut back on frills - for instance, things you can get almost for free.