Water System

In the coming weeks, someone will have to crawl into a 40-inch pipe where it marries a smaller pipe, which happened to burst under Lombard Street, and apply a rubber seal to prevent disaster from happening again. For years, Baltimore officials have warned that the city's centuries-old network of water pipes is crumbling. But few seem to care - until they break. Late last month, a fracture in a 77-year-old pipe during a morning rush-hour flooded downtown streets, shutting down Baltimore's business district for a day and tangling traffic for several more.

We woke yesterday morning to a remarkable spectacle: water flooding downtown Baltimore, snarling traffic and cutting off water, electricity, telephone and Internet service to many center city businesses. To city residents, such breaks have become an all-too-frequent occurrence. There have been more than 5,000 breaks in the past four years. Earlier this year the rupture of a 30-inch pipe under East Monument Street disrupted performances at Center Stage, flooded the basement of a state building and a church, and forced the closure of sections of Calvert Street.

Deer Creek will be increasingly stressed by population growth in the next two decades, much of it caused by expansion at Aberdeen Proving Ground because of BRAC, according to a new regional study. The communities that rely on Deer Creek should develop additional water sources, the study by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission said. The Deer Creek watershed, a 171-square-mile area that begins in York County, Pa., and continues through Harford County to the Susquehanna River, includes a 73-mile stream that supplies about 50,000 people with water.

Fourth-grader Corey Brooks dipped the small white strip of test paper into the glass vial of cloudy water taken from the school parking lot. "Look at all the sediment in the bottom," said one of his lab partners, Brady Meixsell. A few minutes later, the fourth-grader and his peers at Sandymount Elementary School in Finksburg had determined the water's nitrogen and pH levels, and reasoned that its lack of clarity would mean a drop in the production of algae and zooplankton, minute animal life that floats in water.

County and municipal leaders are moving forward with a partnership that would establish one regional water system and consolidate the myriad facilities that now supply Harford's homes and businesses. County Executive David R. Craig, with support from the mayors of the three municipalities, will seek a $300,000 state grant to fund a consultant's study of the regional water supply. The research will focus on benefits, costs and drawbacks to joining the systems under one authority. Pooled resources will maximize the assets and save on operations and maintenance costs, officials said.

For the cash-strapped Maryland Zoo, finding money to repair decrepit buildings and an outdated water system and to pay for other overdue maintenance projects is an understandable struggle. What homeowner hasn't let a few repairs slide? But the "to do" list has to get done now - the zoo's national accreditation depends on it. Improvements at the Druid Hill campus also are critical to its viability and support from loyal patrons. The Maryland Zoo has until September to show significant progress on correcting deficiencies cited last fall by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Even as they gather support from business owners, residents and fire officials, Annapolis leaders pushing to require sprinklers in new structures are facing a much more difficult challenge: figuring out how to pay the millions of dollars needed to replace the city's antiquated underground plumbing system. Alderman David H. Cordle Sr., sponsor of the bill to modify the city code to include new homes and cover modifications to existing buildings, said the city is looking for "viable alternative sources of funding, from the city, state, and county."

For all the rain that fell last week on Anne Arundel County, none of it made a dent in the mandatory water restrictions faced by thousands of residents in the western and northern tiers of the county. Five days of storms that ended Wednesday dropped 4 1/2 inches of rain on Severn and more than 5 inches on Crofton, Odenton and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, according to estimates by the National Weather Service. But if an effort by the county's Department of Public Works remains on schedule, water restrictions that have been in place since May could be relaxed or lifted weeks before the scheduled end date of Oct. 1. The department has installed more than a mile of water main from the Dorsey Run water treatment plant in an effort to create a pipeline that would direct about 1 million gallons daily toward affected communities from Maryland City to Brooklyn Park, according to Matt Mirenzi, a utility operations administrator for the department.

The sad story seems to be retold in western Howard County every year. A large home with a brick facade and arching doorway -- sometimes resting atop a rolling crest with panoramic views of green fields -- catches fire. The nearest hydrant is miles away. Tanker trucks from fire departments in Howard and neighboring counties line up at the nearest water sources and begin hauling and dumping water into 3,000-gallon inflatable pools they have placed near the front yard. The neighborhood is saved -- but the home is incinerated.

Central City lifts water-use restrictions Westminster has lifted voluntary water restrictions after significant rainfall in recent weeks. The city's water system had been on "yellow" status, and residents were asked to conserve water. As of Jan. 10, the water system was moved to "green," or "conservation" status. City officials request that residents continue to conserve water. Information: 410-848-9002. Pastors group to meet Tuesday The Westminster Ministerium will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Westminster Church of the Brethren, Bond Street and Park Place.