Facing severe drought, Baltimore region asked to conserve water

Baltimore Public Works officials appealed to residents Thursday to conserve water as much of Maryland faces severe drought conditions.

Nowhere is the drought more apparent than at the city-owned Prettyboy Reservoir in northern Baltimore County, where officials were scheduled to gather Thursday morning to outline voluntary restrictions on water usage. Baltimore manages the drinking water supply for much of the surrounding region, encompassing around 1.8 million homes and businesses.

Water levels at Prettyboy have dropped 6 feet below normal, city officials said, enough to expose areas of the bottom near the shoreline of the drinking water source. At Liberty Reservoir in western Baltimore County, water levels are 2 feet below normal.

Nearly all of Maryland is in a “severe” drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the January to March period was the state’s 15th driest since the late 19th century.

“By voluntarily conserving water now, we can take collective action to help preserve our regional water supply,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement.

The advisory applies to all of Baltimore City, southern Baltimore County and swaths of Carroll, Harford and Howard counties, according to DPW mapping.

Baltimore isn’t alone in facing potential contingency measures.

Last month, the Potomac River reached its lowest level for that point in the year in over 130 years of record-keeping.

That means the Washington, D.C., area may have to release water from backup reservoirs to boost flows in the Potomac, from which the city draws water, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin said in a May 8 report.

The Baltimore region faced similar drought conditions this time a year ago and asked residents to conserve water then, too. Heavy summer rains alleviated dry conditions last year, but a dry fall dragged Maryland back into drought.

Stream gauges up and down the East Coast, monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey, indicated extremely low flows in many waterways, including Maryland tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. The agency’s forecasting projects that much of Maryland will emerge from drought by mid-August.

But if conditions in the Baltimore region worsen, the city could resort to drawing water from the Susquehanna River, officials said Thursday. While water from the Chesapeake Bay tributary is safe to drink, officials said residents could notice “a slight change in taste or odor.”

The Department of Public Works asked residents to cut back on nonessential tasks like lawn and garden watering, car or equipment washing, and washing outdoor surfaces such as driveways and sidewalks. It also advised residents to only run full loads in dishwashers and washing machines and to turn off taps while brushing teeth or shaving.

The voluntary advisory doesn’t apply to essential uses like drinking, cooking or hygiene.

“DPW is closely monitoring conditions and will continue assessing rainfall totals and reservoir levels over the coming weeks and months,” Public Works Director Matthew Garbark said.