ELDERSBURG, Md. — You hear a lot of people say it when there's a storm: 'We needed this rain.'
In the Baltimore area, it's true. Recent rainfall brought some relief to the Baltimore region's reservoirs amid drought conditions, but city officials say the area still has a ways to go.
Recent rainfall helps Baltimore-area reservoirs amid drought conditions
Liberty Reservoir, which spans parts of western Baltimore and eastern Carroll counties, is maintained by the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, along with Loch Raven and Prettyboy reservoirs. Two weeks ago, DPW announced a voluntary water restriction, urging the roughly 2 million people who use public water to curb non-essential use.
On May 14, Matthew Garbark, director of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, said the situation had reached a critical point.
"This is as bad as it's been in 25 years," he told WMAR-2 News, "and it's not even summer yet."
READ MORE: DPW issues voluntary water restrictions due to drought conditions
The rain over the last week or so has helped; DPW says Prettyboy and Liberty reservoirs are each up about a foot.
"...We still have a way to go and continue to urge residents throughout the Baltimore region to use water wisely in order to conserve water," a spokesperson told WMAR-2 News in a statement.
Liberty Reservoir is a popular spot for fishing in the warmer months. Gordon Lawless, who takes his boat out a few times a week, said he noticed the change.
"I've seen it's been down, with a lot of the rains we did have. It seems like it has come up, but still a little shy," he said.
Hunter Hoffman, who helps collect data for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to understand the fish population, said rising water levels benefit more than just the water supply.
"With the water coming up, it makes it better for angling anyway, because more people will be compelled to put a boat in the water. But the fish might spread out a little bit more, than staying in one spot."
Most of the state remains in a moderate to severe drought. DPW says there is still a long way to go.
"We needed it and we still need some more," Lawless said, "So it has helped."
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