LUTHERVILLE, Md. — Neighbors in a Lutherville community say they are bracing for another water main break after water has been seeping through a roadway since March.
The leak was first reported to 311 on March 10. More than three months later, water is still surfacing in the roadway.
Their concern comes after years of infrastructure problems. City records obtained by WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii show at least 12 water-related failures, leaks and breaks near Jamieson Road and Muirfield Court since 2017.
While Baltimore County is moving forward with a $4.5 million water main replacement project along nearby Seminary Avenue, county officials confirmed the work does not include the section of pipe where many of the neighborhood's repeated breaks have occurred.
Residents along Jamieson Road say they've experienced six water main breaks since 2019. They have documented the damage each time, including a February incident in which a snowplow fell into a collapsed section of roadway.
"We moved in in January of 2020 and about every year after that, there would be a water main break at some point," said homeowner Catherine Siler.
Residents say the breaks have become so common that neighbors know what to do when trouble starts.
"Someone sends up the red flag. There's a break. Move your cars. So we end up lining Seminary or we park in the next neighborhood over," Siler said.
They also keep buckets of water on hand in case service is interrupted.
"This is an important fixture in our household, so we have one of these at every bathroom that we keep filled with water at this point, just in case," Siler said. "You have to coordinate when the toilet is going to be flushed, and it is only flushed in certain circumstances."
The location of the breaks has added to residents' concerns. The failures have repeatedly occurred near the entrance to the neighborhood, meaning road collapses or repair work can limit vehicle access for the rest of the community.
"We have retirees, elderly folks. There are tiny little babies here. There's toddlers, there's pregnant moms, there's school kids," Siler said. "We're just kind of on borrowed time. We keep our buckets filled and we're just waiting for the next big enough break to get some action."
Frustrated by the repeated issues, Siler began contacting Baltimore County officials, the Department of Public Works and Transportation, and state representatives last year in search of answers.
After months of trying to determine who was responsible for what, she learned a pipe replacement project is in the works.
"City provides the water, County fixes the infrastructure above and beyond what is already there. City maintains what's already there. OK. There's an improvement project started. It was supposed to happen in the late fall. Great. Where is that?" Siler said.
Matt Leone, chief of design for the Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation, said a $4.5 million water main replacement project is planned along Seminary Avenue from Hillspring Drive to Valleyfield Road.
The project has been in development since 2019.
"We're getting ready to advertise that project at the end of 2026," Leone said. "We do encounter delays on projects, especially when it comes to the different permits that we need to get."
Leone said the project requires approvals from multiple agencies because Seminary Avenue is a state highway. The county recently hired a consultant to help complete the permitting process.
He added that the project may have cost about $3 million two years ago but is now expected to cost roughly $4.5 million due to rising material costs, higher fuel prices and growing demand for pipe materials as utilities across the country work to replace aging infrastructure.
However, Leone said the project is focused primarily on the larger water main running along Seminary Avenue and will not fully replace the section of pipe where many of the neighborhood's repeated breaks have occurred.
"It'll be on Seminary. We do go up those side streets a bit. It wouldn't be full scale off of Seminary there," said Leone.
Leone explained the county's approach to prioritizing the work.
"So we take care of the longest lead item first. Seminary is the longest lead item. It's the largest water main there. It serves those neighborhoods," Leone said. "The last thing we would want is to go replace water mains in a neighborhood, but they're still without water because we didn't replace what was feeding all of those neighborhoods,"
City records show at least 12 water-related failures, leaks and breaks near Jamieson Road and Muirfield Court since 2017.
While water main breaks were typically repaired within days, some leak records remained open for more than three to five months before being closed.
Baltimore City officials said they will continue to monitor and repair leaks in the area, but said long-term infrastructure improvements are the responsibility of Baltimore County.
The city also said the current issue on Jamieson Road has been identified as a water valve problem and that the work order has been expedited.
As for the section of pipe residents say has caused repeated problems, there is currently no replacement project planned.
Construction on the Seminary Avenue project is expected to begin in 2027 and take at least a year to complete.
Below is a map of water main breaks and joint leaks in the Longford North community since 2017.
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