water supply

Nitrogen pollution from Maryland sewage plants and industries increased in 2012, partially undermining gains the state has made in prior years in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, the Environmental Integrity Project reported Thursday. The Washington-based group noted that the state's facilities collectively discharged more than 300,000 pounds of hte bay-fouling nutrient that year than they were legally permitted to do.

The Perryville town commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to accept a settlement with the Maryland Department of the Environment, under which the town will pay $58,576 in penalties for violations at the municipal wastewater treatment plant during 2012.Perryville

Hampden merchants are complaining about temporary water pipes that have been lining Falls Road and other streets for several months as part of a city infrastructure project. Merchants and City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke are asking the city to hurry up and finish the work and remove the pipes.

Howard County's wastewater arrangement with NSA is a win-win for taxpayers and not a missed opportunity to rein in surveillance

The Bel Air Town Commissioners received an overall clean audit report during their work session Monday, although it must undergo a final review before the formal presentation during the Jan. 21 town meeting.

Harford County crews restored water service to five Joppatowne homes that were without water for five hours Thursday afternoon and evening, following a water main break, as temperatures dipped into the 20s.

Rudy Chow, who's overseen the city's troubled water-billing system since 2011, will be promoted to head Baltimore's Department of Public Works, the mayor's office said Friday.

Bel Air town officials expect to propose an increase in residential and commercial sewer rates in order to reflect changes in the bulk rate Harford County charges the town to treat its sewage.

There is a simple way to help the environment; one that does not require wearing hemp or even scrapping your car (although that would be nice): Eat less meat.

Bel Air Town Commissioners were advised to move forward with the next phase of negotiations in the creation of a regional water and sewer authority.

Plans for two commercial development projects in Joppa and Fallston that have raised previous concerns in their respective communities were reviewed by Harford County and state agencies last week, while a proposal for more houses in Abingdon is likewise raising hackles in that community.

The issuing of building permits and restarting of stalled construction projects have been suspended in Bel Air until the town can find a solution to its drought issue.

The Harford County Department of Public Works' Water and Sewer Division will temporarily switch water sources at the Abingdon Water Treatment Plant from the usual supply originating at Loch Raven Reservoir to the Susquehanna River.

The county serving as backup has worked fairly well to date, and it will remain sufficient for then next few years while the water authority issue is being hashed out and decided.

Baltimore residents should not have to buy insurance for water meter replacement.

Baltimore's new water meters are likely to cause problems for the next decade

City water meter insurance fee an unwelcome proposal for over-taxed residents

Right-sizing county water departments

The Town of Bel Air is considering new options for supplying water during droughts.

Baltimore officials awarded an $83.5 million contract to a West Coast company Wednesday to overhaul the city's water-meter system — part of an effort the mayor says could help end "outrageous" water bill errors that have plagued residents.

Baltimore should move cautiously with water meter project

Caroline Wayner of Roland Park gets a Baltimore City water bill of $64,000.

Monday morning, almost one year after the Hurricane Sandy disaster, Ulman broke ground on an $8.1 million electrical protection system that will work to prevent future power-outage-related overflows at the county's wastewater treatment plant in Savage.

Two politically-connected firms are lobbying for a multimillion-dollar contract to overhaul the city's water-billing system — a once-in-a-generation effort Baltimore officials say could help end the chronic problem of wildly erroneous bills.

City's water meter contract raises serious concerns

On the whole, however, given that Harford County probably has sufficient capacity to produce water and treat sewage, even as some of its communities are lacking capacity with regard to one or the other, a consolidated system is a good idea – as long as it can be kept in check.

Several candidates for governor — a Democrat and three Republicans — said Friday that they would cut taxes to improve Maryland's image as hostile to business and revive the ailing manufacturing industry.

Harford County may have to look for new sources of water in the future, but the county's quest for water is not as crucial as originally projected in light of slowing population growth, a county engineer told the County Council on Tuesday.

Harford County Executive David Craig fiercely defended his opposition to the state's stormwater remediation fee Monday night, which he announced last week he wants to repeal on the county level.

Sherlock Swann Gillet, a Baltimore County farmer and water utility owner, died Sept. 9. Family members said that he went out for his daily horseback ride in Glyndon and did not return. He was later found in a field.

Researchers say two-thirds of nearly 100 rivers and streams checked across the eastern United States, including the Patuxent and Potomac rivers, have become more alkaline over the past 25 to 60 years.

Some Aberdeen residents in the Route 40 area have dealt with water shutoffs in the wake of an ongoing state project to improve part of the road; however, the last of them is expected to occur this week.

The Anne Arundel County School System's agreement last year to allow all school grounds to be evaluated for cellphone tower sites has long signaled support and opposition from residents, and most recently local political leaders have chimed in.

The head of Baltimore's water system spent 35 days attending conferences in the past year, many of them out of state, records show. The travel has raised concerns among some city officials, who say Water and Wastewater chief Rudy Chow is needed here to focus on issues of crumbling infrastructure and erroneous bills.

The Annapolis Office of Emergency Preparedness and Risk Management is hosting a citywide preparedness exercise on Tuesday.

Baltimore's Board of Estimates on Wednesday approved a massive $263 million contract for constructing a new facility aimed at curbing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.

An Aberdeen Proving Ground wastewater treatment plant overflowed Tuesday and caused about 250,000 gallons of partly treated sewage to flow into the Bush River, the Army reported Thursday.

A Howard County startup is trying to prove that its algae bioreactors are an answer to greenhouse-gas pollution.

Howard County won five awards from the National Association of Counties this week for innovative programs and services it offers its residents.

Water service began returning Tuesday to thousands of residents and businesses in the Canton area of Southeast Baltimore after a water main break disrupted that service Monday night, according to the Department of Public Works.

Medicare cuts for dialysis would be disastrous for people with kidney disease

Baltimore Department of Public Works crews are working to fix a 36-inch water main break near the Canton waterfront Monday night that left customers in four zip codes without water.

A major part of the Washington Surburban Sanitary Commission's system is Rocky Gorge Dam, which was renamed in 1967 after T. Howard Duckett, one of the founders of the WSSC. Construction of the dam was necessary to keep pace with the expanding population in the region.

Baltimore and other major users of energy are turning to "microgeneration," miniature power plants that look nothing like the sprawling complexes that much of the country relies on for light, heat and air conditioning.

A City Council committee on Tuesday approved a 16 percent cut to Baltimore's proposed storm water fees.

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.

Naval Academy plebes are capping off their first year in Annapolis with a grueling, 14-hour physical and mental test known as Sea Trials.