Baltimore works to prevent a Flint-like water crisis

Baltimore City and county residents are currently under a voluntary water restriction. Baltimore City residents and the surrounding areas in Baltimore, Howard, Harford, and Carroll Counties are experiencing drought conditions. Matthew Garbark, director of Baltimore City's Department of Public Works, told WBAL that the Prettyboy Reservoir, the northernmost reservoir of the City, has dropped to 20-year lows.

This summer's weather made an already parched water supply from the neighboring Prettyboy, Liberty, and Loch Raven reservoirs worse. To combat the issue, Baltimore City has begun the process of blending water from the Susquehanna River with its reservoir supply. The blending process is taking place at the Montebello Water Treatment Plant. There, the water will undergo a series of treatments to ensure it is safe to drink.

The Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) urges residents to conserve water and limit nonessential use, such as watering lawns and reducing shower time, as it monitors rainfall, stream flows, reservoir levels, and water demand.

Simultaneously, residents may notice discoloration and an altered smell and taste in their water in some areas, though not much is expected, as the department says the blended water flows through all the same filters and treatments. Paul Sayan, who oversees Baltimore City’s water system, told The Baltimore Banner the blending should not impact the water quality, and if it does, the impact will be minimal. Officials promise the water is still safe to drink.

Residents are trusting officials’ advice but are also proceeding with caution. "I think if they can assure that it's safe through scientific study, then that's fine with me," Lana, a Baltimore resident, told CBS News. "I'll definitely be checking and seeing if I can tell a difference there."

The initial blended supply from the Susquehanna River will only make up about 20-40% of the overall water supply. 30 million gallons of water per day will be withdrawn from the river. As for what can get the water levels back to normal in the reservoirs, officials say steady rainfall is required for restoration.

According to Garbark, this is not a foreign practice. "This is something that is normal for our system. We've done it in the past. This is by no means the worst drought, but this is something that is going to be here if we don't get any more rain. These pumps will run, and we're going to be using this water," he said in his interview with WBAL.

While the Flint water crisis was caused by a different reason, the concerns for potential impacted residents long-term are similar. In Flint, the issue was due to the city’s decision to switch the city’s drinking water source to the Flint River from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department via Lake Huron to save costs. In the process, the city failed to apply required corrosion-control chemicals during its filtration process. As a result, residents of Flint, Michigan, were exposed to toxic lead and bacteria. The crisis lasted for five years, from 2014 to 2019.

Baltimore City and county residents have been dealing with water issues for years, drawing comparisons to that of Flint. In January of this year, a water main burst the day before a nor'easter, leaving some residents without running water for days.

In the summer of 2022, Baltimore barely avoided a Flint-like water crisis when an unpaid vendor invoice threatened to disrupt deliveries of chemicals essential to water treatment. Separately, the city was grappling with long-standing lead contamination stemming from aging infrastructure and exposure risks in schools.