Water

After reading your "Running water found on Mars?" (Aug. 4), I started reading between the lines. Two rovers were sent to Mars in 2004. Can anyone tell me how much taxpayers funds have been spent on the hardware, facilities, equipment and support staff since then? And after all that, the most the lead researcher on the project could say was "This (finding evidence of water) is the single most bullet-proof observation that I can think of that we've made this entire mission"? That's a pretty sad return on investment.

Water still draws Amy Alcott. The LPGA Hall of Famer, famous for sparking a women's golf tradition by jumping into a greenside lake after winning the Nabisco Dinah Shore tournament, is often found churning laps at Southern California swimming pools. "I'm not a good swimmer," Alcott, 55, says, "but I enjoy being in the water and exercising. " Nor has the winner of five major championships and 24 other LPGA Tour events ruled out another leap into a lake. On April 2, in conjunction with the Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., she'll host the inaugural Fresh & Easy Dinah Shore Charity Pro-Am, featuring legends such as her, Nancy Lopez, Pat Bradley and Patty Sheehan.

A city water main break in the 5400 block of West Forest Park Avenue closed roads Wednesday and cut off supply to several homes and a day-care center in the Windsor Mills neighborhood. The 20-inch main, which broke during the early morning hours, has also caused some water outages at Kernan Hospital, although there has been no impact to patient safety, officials said. "The hospital is functioning normally," said Kurt Kocher, spokesman for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works.

The Sun was incredibly forgiving in its recent editorial about Baltimore's scandalous water billing system ("Tax sale timeout," March 25), particularly since The Sun's own reporting has convincingly shown the Department of Public Works' incompetence and mendacity, its manipulation of citizens, and its outright fraudulent and systematic overbilling. People have even had their homes confiscated because of this system of incompetence and extortion, yet the mayor has had the audacity to assert that nothing can be done about this because to do so might damage the city's bond ratings.

Dumbarton Middle School is closed Wednesday due to lack of water, according to the Baltimore County Public Schools website. No other closings or cancellations have been reported for Baltimore County public schools, according to the website.

A southbound lane along part of York Road in Cockeysville is closed after a water main break affected traffic in Cockeysville for the second time this week. The break occurred in the early morning hours Saturday, shutting down the road between Beaver Run Lane and Railroad Avenue. York Road was shut down earlier this week after a water main break. erica.green@baltsun.com .

The nearly five-week closure of Light Street in downtown Baltimore after a major water main break beneath its surface last month has ended, according to the city's Department of Public Works. The street reopened to traffic about 4 p.m. Sunday, said Kurt Kocher, a department spokesman. It first closed July 16, when a 20-inch-wide water main dating to 1889 ruptured, buckling the street's surface between East Lombard Street and East Baltimore Street. The main had previously been labeled as a "high risk.

A 12-inch water main break shut down East Cold Spring Lane in Northeast Baltimore on Tuesday and likely will leave the thoroughfare closed for several days, a spokesman said. The 80-year-old main broke in the 2200 block of E. Cold Spring Lane between Hillen and Harford roads. Drivers should take Echodale Road, which runs north of Cold Spring, or 32nd Street, which runs south, said Kurt Kocher, a public works department spokesman. "It might take a few days to totally reopen," he said.

A broken 10-inch-wide water main in Southwest Baltimore caused a sinkhole to open on Frederick Avenue near its intersection with East Lynne Avenue late Tuesday night, according to city officials. The water main was shut off and Frederick Avenue was closed at the intersection, in the city's Mill Hill neighborhood, said Kurt Kocher, a public works spokesman. Repairs were scheduled to begin Wednesday morning, Kocher said. Police said they were on the scene helping to divert traffic.

Baltimore County homes in the area of Seven Courts Lane in Perry Hall will lose water service Friday night until Saturday morning as crews replace water valves, officials said. Service will be shut off around 10 p.m. Friday and will return 6 a.m. Saturday, after replacements are made on Seven Courts Lane, according to a statement from the Baltimore City Department of Public Works. About 500 residences on Seven Courts Lane and all the courts between Joppa Road to Plantagenet Circle will be affected and should receive a notification flier.