Water Lines

Carroll County commissioners voted unanimously yesterday to apply for a state grant that would offset the cost of extending water lines to Maple Crest, a 30-year-old subdivision south of Westminster that has suffered shortages for several years. "I think we should pursue the grant and then tackle this issue if and when we get the grant," said Commissioner Donald I. Dell. The commissioners have voiced support for the project, which would extend service to Wayne Avenue and Woodland Drive - streets with the most severe water problems - and possibly to Kolbe and Hook roads as well as Maple Crest Drive.

East Cold Spring Lane was closed at the edge of Morgan State University's campus in Northeast Baltimore while public works crews repair a water main break, a department spokesman said Tuesday. The break occurred in the 1800 block of E. Cold Spring Lane, according to the spokesman, Kurt Kocher. The street was closed to traffic between Harford and Hillen roads, he said, and will be closed until at least Wednesday. About a dozen homes are affected. As a detour, motorists were urged to take Echodale Avenue or 32 n d Street.

The Harford County Council voted 4-3 last night against a resolution that would extend public water lines to a Havre de Grace neighborhood. Wells at nine of the 84 homes in Glenn Heights community are contaminated with trichloroethylene, or TCE, a volatile organic compound. Lower levels of the industrial solvent were detected in about two dozen other wells, officials said. The Maryland Department of the Environment has installed filtration systems on the nine problematic wells and is monitoring the others periodically.

If the powers that be could somehow start over and create a Baltimore region from scratch, the design probably wouldn't call for the city to be the proprietor of the water system and leave the counties as customers. Like transit, highways, solid waste disposal and other public infrastructure, it probably ought to be a shared responsibility (and shared financial burden). Yet the resolution offered by Baltimore County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz and approved by the council earlier this month calling on the county to study a regional management system raises hackles.

Clarksville residents are expected to present opposing views to the Howard County Council tonight about the prospect of bring county water lines to the area.Some have contaminated wells and want the county to provide them with water and sewer service. Others say the well water isn't all that bad. They fear that county water and sewer service will lead to increased development, threatening their bucolic style of life."I understand and share their concerns about increased development," said the Rev. Jeffrey Dauses of St. Louis Roman Catholic Church.

Work to clean and line old, corroded water lines in the Linthicum area will begin in several weeks and continue for several months.Jody Vollmar, spokeswoman for the Anne Arundel County Utilities Department, will speak to the Linthicum-Shipley Improvement Association during the monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Linthicum Elementary School.Cleaner lines with better flow will mean clearer water and better fire protection, Ms. Vollmar said.When the lines were installed 50 to 60 years ago, workers used unlined cast-iron pipes, which have corroded over the years.

The Carroll commissioners are seeking bids to extend Westminster water lines to Maple Crest, a 30-year-old subdivision south of the county seat that has struggled with water problems for years. The neighborhood has no public water and residents rely on private wells. Some wells run low part of the year and others go dry during periods of drought. More than a few have dried up, forcing residents to bear the costly burden of trucking in water. The county is seeking bids that would show the costs of extending water lines under two scenarios.

The pungent smell of chlorine bleach permeates the Hutchison home, a handsome four-bedroom split-level just outside Westminster. The Hutchisons, a family of four, struggle daily to conserve water. They fear their well will run dry. So they cook with bottled water. They wash their clothes at the public laundry. And they clean their kitchen with bleach rather than soap and water. "Water is a necessity of life. You can't flush the commode, cook a meal or bathe without it," said Alice Hutchison, 59. "Most people never give it a second thought.

About 35 homeowners in Maple Crest, a 30-year-old subdivision south of Westminster, met with County Commissioner Robin Bartlett Frazier last night to discuss extending city water lines to their neighborhood. The area has no public water, and residents rely on private wells. Some wells run low part of the year and others go dry during periods of drought. More than a few have dried up, forcing residents to bear the costly burden of trucking in water. "I've got a water-conditioning system that requires a lot of maintenance and costs me quite a bit of money.

Carroll commissioners voted unanimously yesterday to apply for a state grant that would offset the cost of extending water lines to Maple Crest, a 30-year-old subdivision south of Westminster that has suffered shortages for several years. "I think we should pursue the grant and then tackle this issue if and when we get the grant," said Commissioner Donald I. Dell. His colleagues, Commissioners Julia Walsh Gouge and Robin Bartlett Frazier, agreed. Both said it would be foolish to pass up the chance to receive state money for the project.

The water main break that left tens of thousands of Northwest Baltimore County residents without water for days has been repaired and is back in service, according to Baltimore's director of public works. DPW Director David Scott thanked residents for their patience while repairs took place after the break was discovered Saturday. The repairs were completed early Wednesday morning, said DPW spokeswoman Celeste Amato, a full day before the original Thursday estimate. That approximation was based on weather forecasts that called for rain, she said.

The water main break that left tens of thousands of Northwest Baltimore County residents without water for days has been repaired and is back in service, according to Baltimore's director of public works. DPW Director David Scott thanked residents for their patience while repairs took place after the break was discovered Saturday. The repairs were completed early Wednesday morning, said DPW spokeswoman Celeste Amato, a full day before the original Thursday estimate. That approximation was based on weather forecasts that called for rain, she said.

Cockeysville has lost another facet of its history to the wrecking ball, despite the efforts of residents who were working to preserve elements of the 19th-century tenant house built by Judge Joshua Cockey II. The ramshackle two-story structure that dates to 1852 was razed a week ago to make way for a parking lot. Although Baltimore County's Landmark Preservation Commission deemed the building unsalvageable, residents had hoped to save the stones,...

A portion of downtown Baltimore affected by a massive water main break earlier this week may not be back to normal until at least Friday, city officials said. Several city agencies coordinated on tackling the gushing water main, which burst Tuesday morning at the intersection of Gay and Lombard streets around 6 a.m. and flooded several streets in the area. Six buildings in the area were closed Wednesday, including the Civil Division District Courthouse on Fayette Street, as they either had low water pressure, or no water at all. City leaders, including Mayor Sheila Dixon, blamed the break on the overall state of the city's water lines, which they described as aging and in constant need of repair.

Education officials, staff and parents at a northern Harford elementary school coping with contaminated wells are asking for a connection to nearby public water lines. Trace amounts of MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether), a gasoline additive, were detected in the two private wells at Forest Hill Elementary School in 2005. By the spring of last year, tests showed the levels had risen to 13.6 parts per billion, a level still considered safe by federal standards, but one that prompted the school to use bottled water.

The Harford County Council voted 4-3 last night against a resolution that would extend public water lines to a Havre de Grace neighborhood. Wells at nine of the 84 homes in Glenn Heights community are contaminated with trichloroethylene, or TCE, a volatile organic compound. Lower levels of the industrial solvent were detected in about two dozen other wells, officials said. The Maryland Department of the Environment has installed filtration systems on the nine problematic wells and is monitoring the others periodically.

Whenever you work on an old house, one thing is certain: there will be surprises.Some surprises are pleasant -- like finding a perfect set of servants' bells in a boarded-up stairwell, or finding good wood floors under layers of carpet and tile. But some surprises are bound to be unpleasant -- like finding out you can't have a big family bath on the second floor and retain the elaborate molded ceiling in the living room below.In fact, plumbing is a major breeding ground for uncomfortable surprises.

Bill would let landfill neighbors tap into public water linesThe chairman of the County Council has introduced a bill that would allow several communities surrounding the Millersville Landfill to tap into public water lines.The communities now are in the "no service area," explained Mary Baldridge, aide to David G. Boschert, D-Crownsville. "All this bill does is move them up in the planning. Right now, they can't even apply" for water connection.The bill covers communities and homes located along Dicus Mill Road, Gambrills Road and Burns Crossing Road.

After a contentious debate, the Harford County Council has opted to delay until Nov. 13 a decision on whether to extend public water service to a Havre de Grace community where some homes' wells are contaminated. The delay will give officials time to get input from the county Health Department and the city of Aberdeen and search for additional funding to reduce the expense for residents of Glenn Heights, a community of 84 homes about a half-mile from U.S. 40. Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti, whose district includes Glenn Heights, has asked the Health Department for a "thorough assessment of the community's water supply and its impact on health and safety," according to a letter mailed to residents Wednesday.

The federal government will give $364,000 to the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Site to upgrade the entrance and parking facilities, Maryland's two U.S. senators announced yesterday. The money - to come from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration - will help relieve safety concerns about schoolchildren, pedestrians and tour groups walking amid rows of buses to enter the Fort McHenry visitor center, according to the senators' offices. The parking lot will be improved, and a study will begin to look at building a circular route for transit vehicles to enter the lot from Fort Avenue.