The combination of water conservation efforts; design and planned construction of the Fullerton Water Treatment Plant; wastewater collection system improvements as a result of the Wet Weather Consent Decree Program; Enhanced Nutrient Reduction designs and planned construction of the Back River and Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plants; and increased NPDES Permit capacity of the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant, the City of Baltimore is projecting both water system and wastewater system capacities will meet the growth demands beyond the year 2030. The following table summarizes system capacities:

*(Note: Projected capacity includes Fullerton WTP operational by 2016.)

**(Note: Projected capacity includes Patapsco capacity at 81 MGD by 2013.)

In the City’s 2009 Sustainability Plan (See Appendix XXX), resource conservation is one of the main goals that the strategies in the plan aim to achieve. Although Baltimore enjoys relatively plentiful rainfall and water sources, population increases, climate change, and global demand for water resources threaten to challenge the existing levels of water supply. Improving the efficiency of Baltimore’s water treatment and delivery system has the potential to significantly reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions from water and wastewater processing.

Resource Conservation Goal #2: Reduce Baltimore’s water use while supporting system maintenance
The Baltimore City Bureau of Water and Wastewater operates and maintains three reservoirs and three water filtration plants to distribute an average of 265 million gallons of drinking water in Baltimore City and surrounding counties daily. Not only does excessive water use deplete our freshwater supplies, it also requires significant amounts of energy to treat and deliver water and then to collect and treat wastewater. According to the EPA, letting a faucet run for five minutes requires as much energy as lighting a 60-watt bulb for 14 hours. Proper protection and wise use of our water resources, along with maintenance of the City’s water supply system, will help sustain this system so that Baltimore residents can continue to have clean, readily-available water.

Strategy A: Conduct public education program on reducing water consumption
Develop programs to inform and educate Baltimore residents about water use for purposes like landscaping, clothes and car washing, and bathing, to help promote more sustainable behavior. Seemingly minor choices made everyday can culminate into substantial water savings.

Strategy B: Study methods to fund the construction and maintenance of Baltimore’s water supply System
Examine Baltimore City’s current rate structure to assure that sufficient funding is available to maintain and manage the existing system while also encouraging conservation through tiered use rates or other methods. This is critical because safe and available drinking water depends on adequate source protection, treatment, and distribution systems.

Strategy C: Maintain a comprehensive water facilities master plan
Develop and implement a long term strategy to protect the water supply system cost effectively. This would include identification of areas where growth requires expansion and creation of a strategy for pipe replacement due to age. A comprehensive strategy will also help explain the costs of creating the water rate structure and maintaining a public document explaining long-term system maintenance issues.

2006 Water Wastewater Master Plan, Adopted November 2006

COMPREHENSIVE WATER AND WASTEWATER PLAN

Baltimore City is required to provide the State of Maryland with a comprehensive plan for its water and wastewater systems that must document, according to specific State regulations, the ability of the City to supply its citizens and the larger metropolitan area where needed a sufficient and safe drinking water supply and a wastewater collection and treatment system of sufficient capacity, now and at least ten years in the future. The Maryland Department of the Environment is the State entity that reviews and approves the Plan, with additional guidance from the Maryland Department of Planning. Periodic updates are required to keep the information in the plan current and relevant.

The Plan is organized into four main chapters: Objectives and Organization; Baltimore City Profile; Water Supply and Distribution; and Wastewater Collection and Treatment. Four appendices are included to provide a list of projects from the Six Year Capital Improvement Program, a Water Distribution map, a Sewage System map, and appropriate references to interjurisdictional water and wastewater agreements.

The Maryland Department of Planning has nine guiding principals for inclusion in the comprehensive plans.

1. Support Smart Growth: Baltimore City is a Priority Funding Area. Development within the City is usually redevelopment or infill projects. Hydraulic analyses generally show no adverse impact to existing water and wastewater systems, and rarely require increased capacity. These analyses include taking into account the age and condition of facilities, existing flows and pressures at the treatment plants, pumping stations and storage facilities, and future flow evaluations, including future capacities and commitments from other jurisdictions. Expansion of systems in Baltimore County are guided by long range plans and the limits of the Metropolitan District and the Urban Rural Demarcation Line.

2. Maintain and Improve Existing Systems: Significant investment in the condition of the water and wastewater systems is reflected in the Capital Improvement Program. The current six year program dedicates more than $645 million in improvements to the water system, as well as a Consent Decree commitment to $900 million worth of improvements to the sewer system.

3. Manage Service Area Expansions: It is expected that the service needs of the City will remain the same over the ten years covered by this Plan. Baltimore provides treated water to Baltimore, Howard, and Anne Arundel Counties, and raw water to Carroll and Harford Counties. Baltimore County is the largest jurisdiction using City water and sewer facilities. Any expansion requests for these services from Baltimore County must be able to be adequately served by the existing system, or served as a result of a serious health threat. As previously mentioned, the Metropolitan District and Urban Rural Demarcation Line limits public water and sewer service to within these areas.

4. Expand System Capacity Based on Demonstrated Need: Early development plans for the water and sewer systems took into consideration the capacity needed by adjacent counties. Zoning and jurisdictional regulations have controlled growth within expected service areas and expansion needs in the future can be accommodated. The City has control over the expansions and the conditions for available capacity and funding through existing interjurisdictional agreements. Future water demands can be met by expanding the Montebello filtration plant, construction of a new filtration plant in Fullerton (Baltimore County), and use of Susquehanna River water as a regular raw water source. Existing wastewater treatment facilities are able to handle the anticipated flows, but enhanced nutrient removal facilities will need to be built at both facilities.

5. Present a Capital Program Based on Demonstrated Need: Long range engineering studies and analyses of the condition of existing systems form the basis for the water and wastewater capital programs. Projects that benefit the entire system and its users are coordinated with participating counties and jointly funded. Where possible, sewer line work is combined with stream restoration to minimize disruptions.

6. Allocate Capacity to Support Smart Growth: Baltimore City is a designated Priority Funding Area. Water and sewer allocations in participating counties are based on interjurisdictional agreements. The agreements’ calculations are based on land use, growth projections, and zoning restrictions within specific service areas.

7. Protect Water Quality and Water Supply Sources: A 1984 Reservoir Management Agreement was signed by Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The most recent reaffirmation of the agreement was signed in 2003. The agreement commits the signatories to protecting the water quality of the City’s three reservoirs. The City-owned lands surrounding the reservoirs are an important water quality buffer. A Forest Management Plan was developed for the City by DNR and completed in 2002 that analyzed the conditions of these forested areas and made recommendations for their further protection. A Drinking Water Regulations Compliance Study is underway to ensure continued and future compliance with federal regulations. A draft Comprehensive Wastewater Facilities Master Plan determined that current nutrient removal facilities at the City’s two wastewater treatment plants may not be capable of achieving limits for enhanced nutrient removal. The City is developing projects for each of the facilities to ensure compliance with the nutrient limits.

8. Assure Adequate User Structure Rate: The purpose of establishing water and wastewater enterprise funds was to ensure consistent revenue to allow for the improvements and maintenance of the two systems, and to operate these systems without profit or loss to other funds of the City. The City’s rate structure provides the funding necessary for capital investments, costs to operate and maintain the two systems, and debt service.

9. Incorporate Subsidiary Plans: As previously noted, the City’s water and sewer system is a metropolitan system. These systems serve a large portion of Baltimore County (within a defined area), eastern portions of Howard County, and northern portions of Anne Arundel County. Both Carroll and Harford County receive raw water from the City’s system. The water and wastewater plans for these counties are prepared and reflect the cooperative planning processes, agreements, allocations and service and growth areas for the metropolitan system.

For a summary table of water/sewer demand, see Figures 3-2 and 3-3 of the Water & Wastewater Master Plan.