Baltimore-area residents asked to conserve water due to reservoir's 20-year low level
Baltimore's Department of Public Works is asking residents to conserve water after one of the area's most prominent reservoirs has hit a 20-year low.
Khalil Zaied, the director of DPW, is asking residents in Baltimore, Harford, Howard, and Carroll counties, and Baltimore City, to hold off on washing their cars and watering their lawns, and limit water use, until we get some rain to bring Liberty Reservoir back to a comfortable level.
"Not only are we worried about this year, but also next year," Zaied said.
In the meantime, water will be pulled from Loch Raven and Prettyboy reservoirs until the water is leveled out.
"We're telling everybody, we have two million customers, so if everybody does their share, we might be able to reduce this dramatically, and we don't get to the point where we're going to tell people, 'Hey, this is now going to be restrictions, mandatory restrictions" Zaied said.
Water needed for drinking, cooking, and hygiene does not apply to the water restrictions..
Voluntary water restriction issued
Zaied says he's consulted with public works directors in Baltimore, Harford, Howard, and Carroll counties to issue a voluntary water restriction.
Summer is coming, we're going to have more usage obviously in the summer, in addition to having the evaporation of the water," Zaied said. "So we've got to make sure we tell everybody ahead of time before we try to do anything mandatory."
Residents say ways to limit water use include only washing full loads of laundry and dishes, checking for leaks, and pausing on watering cars or lawns.
"We generally try not to use too much water," a Baltimore resident said. "Don't leave the water running if we can, so I don't think it will change our habits."
"I love taking gloriously long showers every day, especially when I'm not working. Now that you mention it, I'm going to at least feel a little bad about it, and who knows, maybe I'll even shorten them a bit," said another resident.
What is causing the low-level reservoir?
Zaied says Liberty Reservoir, the primary reservoir in the area, is three feet lower than a comfortable level. According to the director, the reservoir is currently at roughly 4.5 feet deep, and a comfortable level is closer to 7.5 feet.
"The main reason is the dry weather in the spring and the beginning of summer," Zaied said. "So we're really at a 20-year low in terms of rain coming in."
