Town Water

While growth has led to more income and property tax revenue for thetown, two residents at Monday's council meeting pointed out some of the drawbacks of growth, such as noise from house construction and water shortages.James Fahlfeder of Boxwood Drive asked the council to consider adopting a noise ordinance to prohibit construction crewsfrom starting up their bulldozers and other loud equipment before 7 or 7:30 a.m.Mayor C. Clinton Becker said the town could look at procedures followed by other municipalities, but the council did not seem interested in such an ordinance.

Maryland environmental officials said yesterday that Union Bridge's water is safe to drink, even though it doesn't meet state drinking water standards.Conditions are right in Union Bridge's century-old well -- the town's sole source of drinking water -- to produce diarrhea-causing protozoans, but there is no evidence that giardia and cryptosporidium have infested the water supply.MDE ordered Union Bridge to fix its well three years ago, when tests showed that bacteria linked to animal wastes were present in the well.

An article in Wednesday's Carroll County section of The Sun incorrectly characterized Union Bridge water and sewer rates. A rate increase was introduced Monday; it will be voted on in the July 25 meeting. Also, the proposed fee for sewer use above 15,000 gallons per quarter was misstated. Under the proposed rate structure, the charge would be $1.95 for each 1,000 gallons of sewer use above 15,000 gallons.The Sun regrets the errors.Union Bridge residents will be paying more for water and sewer service beginning in October.

Raw sewage that leaked from an underground pipe severed in a construction accident June 18 has seeped through layers of limestone and reached the water supply of Walkersville.Officials in the town five miles northeast of Frederick are trucking in fresh water and advising residents to boil tap water for one to three minutes before using it. They are also installing an additional filter system at their water-treatment plant, said Elizabeth Pasierb, Walkersville's planning and zoning administrator.

Town officials hope the results of a state-financed study of the town water system will give them a competitive edge when they return to the state well to seek money for recommended upgrades.The town will use a $10,000 state grant and $5,000 of its own money to pay for the comprehensive study of its nearly 80-year-old water system."We have a system that needs work," said Mayor Perry L. Jones Jr."We may have to redo some of our lines, and we have to consider our ability to provide fire protection."

Town officials in Perryville and Port Deposit are close to reaching an agreement on a new regional water system that would remove the last major hurdle to one of the biggest development projects in the state: the redevelopment of the former Bainbridge Naval Training Center. Officials with the state, county, town and Bainbridge Development Corp. say the towns are close to resolving their difficult off-and-on negotiations of the past four years and agreeing on a joint-use water system. "We are working on [a memorandum of understanding]

Taneytown Mayor W. Robert Flickinger is preparing to step down next month after 32 years with the town government. But other town government veterans are jumping into the race for mayor and the two Town Council seats that are to be filled in the May 7 municipal election. Mayor Pro Tem Darryl G. Hale and Councilman James L. McCarron Jr. are vying for mayor. After a four-year hiatus, former Mayor Henry C. Heine Jr. is running for council. "We've got a lot of work to be done," Flickinger, 74, said.

MIDDLETOWN - The well doesn't look like much - a giant metal pipe sticking like a mushroom out of the packed dirt that will soon be Barbara and Marlin Reeder's back yard. But for this thirsty town, in limbo without enough water to finish a dozen houses on the books, the 50 gallon-a-minute gusher might turn out to be a discovery more valuable than striking oil. "It's a big windfall," said Town Administrator Andrew J. Bowen. In June, the Maryland Department of the Environment forced Middletown to stop issuing building permits, saying the Frederick County town had ignored two years of warnings that its growth was outstripping its water supply.

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.

Jack Coe, former manager of the town water and sewer systems, is the newest member of the New Windsor Planning Commission.The Town Council approved the appointment last week.Mr. Coe, a self-employed plumber, replaces Bob Eaves, whose term expired in December. The five-member commission meets at 7 p.m. the fourth Thursday of the month.PoliceNew Windsor: A resident of Church Street reported to state police Friday that someone pried open the rear door to her basement and stole three packs of cigarettes and $25.Taneytown: A resident of Roop Road reported a theft to state police on