Gallons Of Water

As reported Aug. 4, 1957, in The Sun: Thirsty Ellicott City looked in vain yesterday for a long cool glass of water. A muddy trickle dripped from open faucets as the town's critical shortage entered its second day. At 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, a 7,200-gallon tank truck began a seemingly endless shuttle from the Baltimore county water main on Rolling Road to replenish the town's 250,000-gallon storage tank. Two artesian wells pumped all last night but were unable to fill the gap caused by nearly dry Sucker Branch.

Anne Arundel County officials yesterday lifted a round-the-clock ban on outdoor water usage for an estimated 200,000 residents, although mandatory restrictions remain in effect for communities from Laurel to Linthicum. The ban on outdoor use of public water went into effect Monday for 13 ZIP codes across the county's northern tier after a 42-inch water main broke last weekend in Glen Burnie, spewing at least 3 million gallons. That pipe was replaced Tuesday, and water pressure rose enough to prompt county officials to relax the restrictions.

At a time when several of Hampstead's 14 public wells show signs of fatigue and with statewide water restrictions imminent, the town joined five Carroll municipalities in imposing water restrictions. The restrictions, unanimously approved by the Town Council this week, prohibit outdoor water use, including watering lawns, filling swimming pools and washing cars. Residents may use hand-held containers to water plants and shrubs. The council authorized a $100 fine per violation, but plans to introduce emergency legislation next month to provide further legal definition of the restrictions and enforcement.

A request to draw tens of thousands of gallons of additional water from Wakefield Valley for use at a Westminster golf course will be discussed at a public hearing tomorrow.The owner of the Wakefield Valley Golf Club has asked the state for permits to drill new wells and pump an average of 178,000 gallons of ground water per day, according to Maryland's Water Resources Administration.Under Wakefield's request, the amount of ground water would increase to 495,000 gallons per day in times of maximum use, typically the summer months.

Harford County christened its new $22 million Abingdon Water Treatment Plant Thursday as county officials called it one of their proudest accomplishments of the decade."

Talk about spring cleaning. Your cluttered basement and spotty windows are child's play compared to what Maryland Transportation Authority workers are tackling this month: They're scrubbing the 9 miles of tunnels that run under the Baltimore Harbor, from top to bottom and side to side. The Fort McHenry and Harbor tunnels are filthy. They have not been cleaned since August, when drought restrictions took effect. Since then, car exhaust, diesel smoke and road grime have turned the white tile walls a dingy brown and dimmed the bright ceiling lights.

Until school officials can find out what why one well is contaminated at Hereford High School, the students and staff there are drinking bottled water, and water is being pumped in for other uses.Water in the Baltimore County school's drinking fountains tested positive this week for fecal contamination, and the drinking fountains were shut down as soon as it was discovered, said Principal Ray Gross.The exact level of contamination isn't known yet, but any amount "is a health hazard," he said.

The recent rains may have brightened the flowers a bit, but they areunlikely to solve the city's water woes.The lack of rainfall since May has reduced Westminster's water reservoir to 53 percent of itsnormal capacity, leading Mayor W. Benjamin Brown to advise the City Council to put Westminster's water conservation ordinance into effectat a special council meeting this morning.On June 21, council members asked residents to voluntarily cut water usage. But the drain on the city system -- between 2 million and 2.5 million gallons of water a day -- has not slowed, he said.

A limited water supply might force a reduction in the size of a proposed development that would be the first major subdivision in Union Bridge -- one that might double the town's population.Hampstead developer Martin K. P. Hill wants to build 317 homes, and permission from the Maryland Department of the Environment to pump enough water to sustain the subdivision from a well at the 120-acre property.Hill was seeking approval for 124,000 gallons a day -- enough for more than 500 homes, based on the state's projection of 230 gallons a day per household.

Concerned about drought conditions and looming water shortages, the Carroll commissioners urged water conservation yesterday, but stopped short of any kind of a ban on use, including filling swimming pools. "Conservation is important this summer," said Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge during a meeting on water issues. "Start now, whether you are on a public system or a well." Douglas E. Myers, county director of public works, had suggested an immediate ban on filling swimming pools, a process that consumes thousands of gallons of water every spring.