The mouth of the Susquehanna River at the head of the Chesapeake Bay, June 2021. Photo: Jstuby, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Baltimore City Department of Public Works on Oct. 5 began drawing water from the Susquehanna River to supplement the Prettyboy and Loch Raven reservoirs, which the department said had fallen to low levels in the ongoing drought.
In an official announcement, Public Works said it had activated the Deer Creek Pump Station in northern Harford County and would withdraw about 30 million gallons a day. The water was expected to travel about 39 miles to the Montebello filtration plants later that week, then go to a wash lake to flush sediment before blending and treatment.
The city is not switching to river water alone, the department said. The blend is expected to be about 20 to 40 percent Susquehanna water, mixed with reservoir water, and introduced gradually to limit changes in taste and odor. The blended supply will go into the system served by the Montebello plants, which serve portions of eastern Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Public Works said it provides drinking water to about 1.8 million people in the city and in Baltimore, Howard, Carroll and Harford counties, and that treatment and testing will not change.
The department said river water does not end the drought or take mandatory restrictions off the table if reservoir levels keep falling. Voluntary conservation remains in effect, including avoiding outdoor watering and car washing, fixing leaks, running full loads of laundry and dishes, and taking shorter showers. Unusual or persistent changes in water should be reported to 311 in the city, or to 443-263-2220 from outside the city, the official release said.
