HAMPSTEAD, Md. — The boat launch at Prettyboy Reservoir is now closed to trailer-launched watercraft; water levels are down 20 feet from where they should be, according to Baltimore City's Department of Public Works. It's a consequence of three years of below-average rainfall.
Baltimore City DPW placed signs and a closed gate at the launch.
"What has happened on at least two occasions, the vehicles and trailers have become stuck," explained Matthew Garbark, director of the Baltimore City Dept. of Public Works.
"One incident last week required extensive efforts to move the vehicle out and the boat on the trailer actually flipped over, and could have really injured some of our folks, our Environmental Police," he said.
The reservoir is losing roughly 6 inches of depth per week, Garbark said.
DPW issued a voluntary water use restriction near the start of the warmer months, when the reservoir was already down eight feet. Levels have since fallen to 20 feet below normal.
READ MORE: DPW issues voluntary water restrictions due to drought conditions
Although the reservoir sits in northwest Baltimore County, it is managed by Baltimore City. Along with Loch Raven and Liberty Reservoir, Prettyboy supplies drinking water to 1.8 million people. It is also used for watersport recreation.
If you'd like to get in the water on a hand-launched watercraft like a kayak, that is still allowed. Loch Raven and Liberty Reservoirs are both still open to motorized trailer traffic.
If conditions worsen, Garbark said the city may draw water from the Susquehanna River. A test was run in July to ensure the system was operational, and the city is now ramping up those operations as a precaution.
"It's nothing new to use the Susquehanna. We just haven't used it. And we actually waited a little too long in 2002, and it took years for the quality in the reservoirs to restore because they were dropping so low," Garbark said.
Despite what may seem like a rainy summer, Garbark noted that precipitation has been localized and has not sufficiently recharged the groundwater supply.
"I know that this is something that folks are going to be disappointed with, but it was really driven by operational issues that we're seeing to preserve safety and to ensure that our environmental police can actually be out and not be focused on stuff that's going to take too much of their time," Garbark said.
The boat launch ramps will reopen if water levels rise, Garbark said.
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