Editor's Note: Please click on the audio of this story to hear what Democratic state Sen. Charles Sydnor of Baltimore County has to say about the plan.
The water and wastewater system the city of Baltimore shares with Baltimore County has seen some high profile problems in recent years. Baltimore County leaders on Tuesday reinforced their desire to keep using the system. But they are calling on the General Assembly to create a task force that will examine it regionally.
The current agreement that covers the city of Baltimore’s water and wastewater systems being used by Baltimore County dates back to 1972.
Since then, the city has seen a population drop about the same size as Baltimore County has seen a population gain.
That change plus wear and tear on the system has led to some high profile failures in recent years.
The most recent occurred last September, E. coli bacteria was detected in water prompting a five day boil water advisory in West Baltimore and parts of neighboring Baltimore County.
The soon to be introduced bill creates the task force and gives it a deadline of January 2024 to produce recommendations on upgrades and governance of the systems shared by more than 1.4 million residents.
While pushing for changes, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski told reporters Tuesday in Annapolis he is not seeking to have the county break away from using the city’s system.
