Water Lines

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 simple trip to the bathroom at Hazelwood Elementary-Middle School in Northeast Baltimore turned into a harrowing experience Tuesday for first-grader Ashley Moore.Scalding water and steam burst from the toilet after she flushed it, leaving her with second- and third-degree burns over the back of her body, from her shoulders to her ankles, according to police and her mother.Screaming and in tears, the 7-year-old ran from the bathroom and was taken to the nurse's office where her clothes were removed.

Baltimore County's infrastructure is crumbling: Alleys are deteriorating, sewers are blocked and water lines need cleaning. More than half the county's bridges have structural deficiencies -- making some off-limits to fire trucks. And about a third of the traffic signs and signals are rated in "poor or terrible" shape.County officials have budgeted millions to make repairs, but "there isn't enough money in the entire state of Maryland" to meet all the needs, says Public Works Director Charles R. Olsen.

NOW THAT winter appears to actually be here, you may be getting daily -- and nightly -- reminders -- that you have leaky windows and doors. Or maybe you're still cold after the heater comes on, or maybe some uninvited critters have come inside to join you. Now is the time to take action, before the weather gets worse. Recently a reader from Baltimore wrote in and asked us to give a checklist for winterizing a house, so here it is:* Windows -- Caulk interior and exterior gaps to prevent air and water infiltration.

Six months after Taneytown shut down its most productive well, construction has begun on the installation of filters to remove a solvent that tested above the federal standard for drinking water. City officials hope to have Well No. 13 back in service by the end of next month -- although at half its capacity -- as car-washing and lawn-watering season begins to increase demand. The pump house first must almost double in size to accommodate the charcoal filters -- three 3,000-pound cylinders that each measure 6 feet tall by 4 feet in diameter -- said John V. Dillenburg, a retired senior vice president for ESAB who is working on the Taneytown project.

Chicago redefined the urban nightmare last Monday when a section of abandoned tunnel ruptured and the Chicago River poured into downtown, wreaking hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.Could such a disaster occur in Baltimore, with its own century-old underground rail tunnels and aging system of water and sewer lines?Civil engineers contemplating such doomsday scenarios answer simply: No, the Chicago River doesn't come within 500 miles of here.In fact, the exact circumstances facing the Windy City are unique and unlikely to be duplicated elsewhere.

IT WASN'T the dog fur, or the dryer lint, or the scraps from laundering the rag rugs that clogged up the main drain leading from Karol's house to the sewer connection at the street."

Customers of Baltimore's water system would see their water bills go up 15 percent - more than expected - under a proposal the Department of Public Works announced Monday. The projected rate hike follows years of increases and will bring a typical customer's annual bill to nearly $800, up from about $500 a decade ago, city officials said. Public works officials had previously said an increase of about 12 percent might be needed for the year that begins July 1. They said Monday the 15 percent increase is necessary to meet state and federal mandates, accelerate plans to replace aging water lines that frequently break and update meter and billing systems.

A yearlong, $2.4 million water line renovation project that will -- affect more than 3,000 homes between Dundalk Avenue and the railroad tracks along Sollers Point Road in eastern Baltimore County will get under way in August.County public works officials said that Heitkamp Inc., a contractor from Watertown, Conn., is to clean out the cast iron water pipes and line them with concrete, using a technology that allows the work to be done without digging up the pipes.Water service to the affected Dundalk homes will be provided by above-ground pipes and hoses that will bypass those being cleaned.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has awarded Carroll County a $238,986 grant to extend water lines to two streets in Maple Crest, a 30-year-old subdivision south of Westminster that has suffered water shortages because of failing wells for several years. Construction on the long-awaited project, which would alleviate water woes on Wayne Avenue and Woodland Drive, is expected to begin in the fall, according to Doug Myers, county public works director. In addition to the grant, which will help cover construction expenses, Carroll has secured a $139,916 loan from the Maryland Department of the Environment for construction, hookup fees and administrative costs of extending service.