Outdoor Water

Calling the dwindling supply of water here threatening, the Town Council last night unanimously imposed a ban on outdoor water use.The measure, which carries fines of up to $50 for watering lawns, washing cars, filling swimming pools or any other use of water outdoors, is the third such mandatory restriction of water consumption in the county."

With levels in Westminster's Cranberry Reservoir down 5 feet and rainfall 6 inches below normal, mandatory outdoor water restrictions could remain in effect for the next month or two, city officials said. The water ban, imposed in late August, has also failed to noticeably lower the system's consumption of about 19 million gallons a day, said Marge Wolf, a city administrator. She said Mayor Thomas K. Ferguson will appeal to residents during tomorrow's city council meeting to conserve more water.

The ban on outdoor water use remains in effect for residents of Westminster and its environs, who rely on the city system."The city does not plan to lift the ban in the near future," said Paula Martin, city water plant supervisor. "There is no outdoor water use in the city service area."The Westminster system takes 80 percent of its water from streams and 20 percent from wells. Both sources are starting to recover from the summer drought, the worst spate of dry weather in 70 years."We have just had multiple months of impact to our system," said Martin.

A drought that first shriveled the corn and hay crops in Southern Maryland and on the Eastern Shore is forcing some residents across the state to suspend watering their lawns, filling their pools and washing their cars. The latest city to issue mandatory restrictions is Westminster, which joins two other municipalities in Carroll County in banning outdoor water use. Emmitsburg in Frederick County and much of St. Mary's County have also put the brakes on outdoor watering in the past month.

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.

Hampstead residents may be forbidden to use water outdoors in about two weeks if water use doesn't return to normal by then, the mayor and Town Council decided last night.Daily water use lately has been about 100,000 gallons above the average, said Councilman Wayne H. Thomas, who oversees the town water system.The average daily water use for this time of year is about 340,000 gallons. Sunday, town residents used 426,000 gallons, he said. Use has climbed steadily since the end of May, he said.

Mount Airy has lifted restrictions on outdoor water use that were imposed in August after three months of drought.Town Council President R. Delaine Hobbs announced at Monday night's meeting that he was lifting the ban. He said the Mount Airy area is still 5 inches below average rainfall for the year. Water use last month was below August levels, he said.A shortage of rainfall during the summer prompted Manchester, Hampstead, Mount Airy and Taneytown to prohibit watering lawns and washing cars.

Hampstead will temporarily lift its 2-month-old ban on the outdoor use of water from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28, but lawn watering will continue to be prohibited.Drought conditions throughout the summer forced town officials impose water conservation measures in July."We've had a lot of people saying they want to plant trees and shrubs," said Neil Ridgely, town manager.He also said the one-week reprieve of the water moratorium will allow businesses to clean parking lots and sidewalks to meet Health Department regulations.

A week after asking residents to voluntarily restrict water use, the company that supplies water to Bel Air is forbidding the outdoor use of water beginning tomorrow because of the continued dry weather.That means no watering of lawns, no filling of swimming pools, no washing of cars. Nothing."They cannot use outdoor water, period," said Daniel Dorlack, manager of Maryland American Water Co. in Bel Air. The ban does not affect residents who receive water from Harford County.Mr. Dorlack said he would announce the water ban today, with official notices to be mailed to all customers this afternoon.

Utility officials banned all outdoor water use in the Freedom District yesterday, the earliest such conservation order in more than 20 summers.Dry weather and high usage -- more than 3 million gallons per day over the weekend -- are taxing the district's water treatment facility, and utility officials do not want to use storage tank supplies held in reserve for a major fire."

Starting Friday, lawn watering, car washing, pool filling and other outdoor water uses will be banned on weekends for about 66,000 Howard County residents using the public water system. The restrictions apply from 6 p.m. Fridays until 12:01 a.m. Mondays and all day on holidays for all homes, businesses and institutions connected to the public water system. Residents using private wells will not be affected. This is the second summer that repairs to a water main in Baltimore County have led to water restrictions in Howard.

Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens has ordered an outdoor-watering ban through at least Thursday for the northern third of the county, pointing to an extreme loss of water pressure that she called "alarming." The around-the-clock outdoor ban affects an estimated 200,000 residents on the public water system in the county's most populated section, from Laurel and Brooklyn Park to Glen Burnie and Pasadena. This marks the second time Owens has instituted an outdoor prohibition on water use this year to combat shortages.

ISSUE: Water supply continues to be an issue in Anne Arundel County. Yesterday, county officials lifted a ban on outdoor water use along the far western and northern tiers of the county that had been implemented last week. But the county now returns to water restrictions that went into effect in early May. Though the situation has improved, the restrictions are expected to be in place until October, and county officials are imploring residents to adhere to them. The police have said officers would issue warnings for those who violate the restrictions, then hand out fines starting at $125 a violation.

Declaring that water levels have returned to normal, Anne Arundel County officials lifted yesterday an outdoor ban on public water usage in the western and northern sections of the county. Although the ban is lifted, communities from Maryland City to Brooklyn Park remain under mandatory water restrictions until Oct. 1. Voluntary limits on public water usage for the Marley Neck Peninsula, excluding Gibson Island, also are in effect during the same period. County officials asked that residents in affected areas remain diligent in complying with the restrictions so there is an adequate water supply for customers and fire protection.

Anne Arundel County officials, saying that too many residents in the northern and western parts of the county are ignoring water restrictions despite a severe shortage, said they plan to crack down on violators if there isn't more compliance. In a news conference yesterday in Annapolis, County Executive Janet S. Owens said many residents are not heeding those restrictions and implored them to take measures seriously. Ronald E. Bowen, the director of the county's Public Works Department, agreed: "We don't believe our customers are complying with the weather restrictions as well as we need them to do."

Water main repair to force limits on use James M. Irvin, Howard County director of public works, has announced that the repair of a major water main in Baltimore County will require mandatory restrictions on outdoor water use in Howard County this summer. Residents and business owners served by the public water system will be restricted to an odd/even usage requirement from May 1 through Sept. 1. The 54-inch water main in southwestern Baltimore County delivers a significant amount of drinking water to Howard County and to part of Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties.

Repair of a badly deteriorated 54-inch water main in southwestern Baltimore County is forcing mandatory outdoor summer water restrictions for Howard County residents using public water, starting May 1, county officials said yesterday. Outdoor water use will be regulated on an odd-even basis until at least Sept. 1, said county James M. Irvin, the public works director. Residents and businesses with even-numbered street addresses will be allowed to use water outdoors on even-numbered days, and odd-numbered addresses may use water on odd-numbered days.