BALTIMORE COUNTY — Last week, concerned residents on Millers Island wanted to know if there was a threat to their homes following a failed pressure test of area fire hydrants.
On Thursday, Baltimore County officials met with community members to address safety concerns.
At the North Point-Edgemere Volunteer Fire Hall, county departments outlined the three-year plan to address the constant water main breaks on the island.
“We found that there have been several issues with breaks and leaks, more than we are comfortable with,” said D’Andrea Walker, Acting Director of Department of Public Works & Transportation. “Our analysis has told us it is happened very often and we’re going to come in and we’re going to replace it.”
"We’re hopefully moving in a forward direction.”
— Dave Detling (@WMARDave) June 3, 2022
Spoke to a few people on Millers Island following community meeting with Baltimore County.
DPWT committed to provided quarterly updates on water line project to Millers Island Resident Association.@WMAR2News pic.twitter.com/1svPHN8C4u
Life on the peninsula means you’re surrounded by water.
But not having access to the water in your pipes, that’s a problem, said Beth Lindung.
She spoke to WMAR 2 News following the informational meeting.
“The timeline is a little concerning,” Lindung said. “Up to three years can be a long time if you don’t know if your water is going to turn on when, but I do feel like the county’s response was good. Having the different departments here, I feel like they heard our concerns and we’re hopefully moving in a forward direction.”
Design. Bid. Build.
— Dave Detling (@WMARDave) June 3, 2022
Baltimore County DPWT talks about 3-year-plan to replace aging water line on Millers Island.
According to info provided by county, the line in question is 50 years old. There has been 22 reported breaks & 12 reported leaks.@WMAR2News
More info below⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YYdDEnaUS2
The county said it has the money to replace the aging water main. The next step, outing putting out bids for project. How much it’ll cost is still unknown.
“They stated they had a budget however there’s no RFB,” said Steve Thompson. “There’s no analysis at this point so kind I’m kind of worried. How do they know what the budget would be without some of the preliminary findings?”
Of the studies and information available, Baltimore County drove home two major points.
The first being that the the water main will be replaced. The second, fire Hydrants on Millers Island pose no safety threat.
“The fire department is fully prepared,” said Assistant Fire Chief, Jennifer Utz. “Right now, on the island there is one fire hydrant that is out of service, and it is marked. All our crews are aware that hydrant is out of service. Otherwise, all hydrants are currently operational and serviceable.”
As far as the water main project is concerned, Baltimore County said it has committed to giving quarterly updates to the Millers Island Resident Association.
