Governor tightens water limits for Central Maryland, Shore

Glendening said the rainfall deficit this year is twice as bad as the one during the 1999 drought, when the state last imposed similar water restrictions. Groundwater and stream-flow levels are at or near record-low levels in much of Central Maryland and the Eastern Shore. He called these "the worst drought conditions since the 1930s."

"Even if we get rain tomorrow and it lasts a week, we are looking at a long-term issue," he said, adding that the solution demands enlightened political leadership at all levels and permanent changes in peoples' habits.

Although local leaders "overall" have cooperated in dealing with the crisis, Glendening said, "some local officials still do not see the link between urban sprawl and long-term water-shortage problems."

The Level Two water-conservation rules imposed yesterday apply to the entire Eastern Shore; all of Frederick, Carroll, Baltimore, Harford, Cecil and Howard counties; all communities served by the Baltimore water system; and western Montgomery County.

Washington, D.C., suburbs served by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and the rest of Southern Maryland remain under a drought watch, with voluntary curbs on water consumption.

Marylanders living under the mandatory Level One restrictions, which apply only to residential users, have chafed for weeks at the sight of sprinklers running on golf course fairways.

The Level Two rules should change that picture, but not entirely. Watering of tees and greens will be limited to between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Fairway watering must be cut 30 percent, and roughs may not be watered.

Glendening expressed confidence that businesses and industries in the drought-emergency zone would abide by the new rules.

"It is clear from the last experience [in 1999] that most businesses are eager to cooperate," he said. And "we do have enforcement mechanisms if we are convinced a particular business is not meeting its goal." He added that local jurisdictions will monitor commercial compliance and impose sanctions on violators.

Baltimore City has no legal mechanism for fining businesses and industries that violate the limits, Winfield said. The fine for residential violations is $20.

Winfield said his department would police business and industrial compliance by monitoring quarterly bills sent to the city's largest water customers.

One of Baltimore's biggest water consumers, the W.R. Grace & Co., in Curtis Bay, has cut its consumption by 25 percent since 2000 and is looking for ways to meet the Level Two goal of another 10 percent cut.

"We're currently investigating whether or not we can recycle water we have used in our chemical manufacturing processes, and things are looking very promising in this area," said Betsy Mettee, the company's communications manager.

"If it's an effective process change, it might be implemented permanently," she said.

At Domino Sugar, environmental manager Gene Eng said his plant began looking for water savings when the city asked for voluntary conservation last winter. So far this summer, he said, by condensing steam and reusing it in the refining process, the plant has saved 3.3 million cubic feet of water.

In related actions, the governor declared a partial ban yesterday on open-air debris burning near the state's tinder-dry woodlands. Garrett County, which is not in drought, is exempted from the ban.

Glendening also liberalized and expanded a state soil-conservation program on the Eastern Shore that pays farmers to plant small-grain crops in the fall to prevent soil erosion and water pollution. New rules will allow farmers in the program to offset their drought-related crop losses by harvesting and selling the grain in the spring. Normally such "cover crops" are plowed under.

Drought damage to Maryland corn and soybean crops alone was approaching $19.5 million Aug. 1, according to state estimates.

Sun staff writer Athima Chansanchai contributed to this article.