Gallons Of Water

Residents of the Freedom area, Carroll's most populous region, might see their water and sewer bills shrink next summer.The county commissioners are expected to order a study next week that would examine the formula used to calculate the rates for public water and sewer service. The formula, which officials call complex, was adopted in 1970."We would like to look at the alternatives," county Comptroller Eugene C. Curfman told the three-member board of commissioners yesterday. "By changing the formula, we may be able to decrease the rates for certain users, particularly the elderly and low-volume users."

Just six days into summer, more Baltimore fire hydrants have been hacked open this year than last - wasting millions of gallons of water, city officials said. This year, people have burst open 401 hydrants to bask in the comfort of a free rush of cooling water, compared with 337 for all of last year, according to the Department of Public Works. "We've had a really hot period, and they're up this year," said Kurt Kocher, department spokesman. Because of the heat and pollution, state officials have issued a "code red" air-pollution warning for today, when 90-degree temperatures are expected.

Hydrant mishap depletes water supplyMore than half the water in Manchester's town water tank was lost within minutes after a car knocked over a fire hydrant last week, said Steven L. Miller, the town's superintendent of water and waste water.Mr. Miller said the Main Street hydrant, which was hit Jan. 26, lost 80,000 to 100,000 gallons of water in 45 minutes.The town's water tank holds 150,000 gallons.Mr. Miller said the town's water supply is not threatened unless the the tank and water system are emptied.

Residents of Carroll's most populated area are using more than a million gallons of water less a day this month than in May, county officials said yesterday.In South Carroll, home to about 28,000 people, water use dropped from a record daily high of nearly 3.5 million gallons in May to 2.2 million gallons a day for the first 22 days of August.The county banned all outdoor water use in South Carroll on June 1, and modified the ban 15 days later to outdoor use on alternating days."I think people are taking the water crisis seriously," said Gary Horst, county director of enterprise and recreation services.

Freedom-area residents are free to wash their cars or water their lawns -- any day of the week.Ending the third summer of water restrictions for 6,700 homes and businesses in South Carroll, county commissioners yesterday voted unanimously to lift a ban limiting outdoor water use to alternating days.Carroll County imposed a complete ban on June 1 for homes and businesses in South Carroll, all served by the Freedom water system, which draws from Liberty Reservoir. The ban was later relaxed to allow outdoor use on alternating days, depending on address.

The first day of state-imposed water restrictions brought out the whistleblowers, innovators and philosophers in Howard County.The day after Gov. Parris N. Glendening announced limits on watering gardens, washing cars and filling swimming pools, some residents did not hesitate to tattle on their neighbors. The emergency restrictions carry the threat of warnings and possible fines and jail time.County police spokesman Sgt. Morris Carroll said, "We are encouraging people not to call the police," but rather just say something to a neighbor who may be violating the water restrictions.

One of the biggest water fights in the nation will be played out tomorrow in Pennsylvania when a tristate commission is expected to declare its control over Baltimore's access to the Susquehanna River basin.The coveted resource has little impact on current water use in the region, but Baltimore officials view the battle as critical to future development in the five surrounding counties. All are served to some degree by the municipal system, which is helping to expand housing development further into suburbia.

After operating under a six-month building moratorium because of a water shortage, the Westminster City Council is scheduled to vote tomorrow night on a plan that would allocate water the state has granted the city to priority residential and commercial development projects. An additional 60,000 gallons of water per day became available last week when Westminster officials signed a consent order with the Maryland Department of the Environment, laying out steps to expand the city's water supply.

County officials were preaching conservation when they outlined proposed new water and sewer rates that could increase customers' bills an average of 10 percent. The new rate structure, which officials discussed at a public hearing before the County Council on Tuesday night, could take effect as early as June 1."Water is not an unending commodity," said Harford County Treasurer James Jewell, "and it's not getting cheaper."The new rate structure would eliminate the minimum-use charge that is built into the system's base rate and would set charges based on consumption.

The men who have been hooking up microphones and headsets to fire hydrants around Westminster and listening to the sound of city water for the past two weeks are helping city government solve a problem.The problem: Westminster loses more than one of every four gallons of water that leave the city treatment plant.The leak detectives from Water Loss Systems Inc. are looking for breaks in the mains where water can seep into the ground without any sign on the surface."You can look around you and it looks like nothing's wrong," says Water Loss Systems President Richard C. Apolenis, eyeing the dry asphalt on Washington Lane.