Department of Public Works - Bureau of Water & Wastewater Fact Sheet

  • 2,000 Employees

    Bryan Samuels, Head (410-396-3500)

    Construction Management Division - Tom Pompa, Chief
    Environmental Services Division - Ralph Cullison, Chief
    Engineering Division - Jaswant Dhupar, Chief
    Wastewater Division - Bob Mohr, Acting Chief
    Maintenance Division - Bryan Samuels, Chief
    Revenue Measurement and Billing - John Brewer, Chief
    Fiscal Services - Ben Meli, Chief

  • Operating Budget FY 2004: $227.6 million (67% of DPW Operating Budget)

  • Supplies high quality drinking water to 1.8 million people in Baltimore Metro Area

  • Three Reservoir Watersheds:

    • Loch Raven, Liberty and Prettyboy

  • Three Water Filtration Plants:
    • Montebello I and II
    • Ashburton
  • Two Wastewater Treatment Plants:
    · Back River
    · Patapsco

  • Filters and distributes an average of 265 million gallons of drinking water daily

  • Collects and treats up to 250 million gallons wastewater daily (Back River: 180 MGD/Patapsco: 63 MGD)

  • Maintains 3,400 Miles of water and 3,100 miles of sanitary mains

  • Operates 8 major pumping stations and 6 minor installations

  • Maintains 1000 miles of storm drains

  • 16,000 manholes

  • 9,100 fire hydrants (City)

  • 33,000 water inlets

  • 10,000 fire hydrants (County)

WATERSHEDS

Three Reservoir Watersheds:

Loch Raven Reservoir

  • Elevation above mean sea level 240 feet
  • Spillway length 288 feet
  • Total length 650 feet
  • Height of crest above stream bed 82 feet
  • Length of shore line at crest elevation 50 miles
  • Area of land owned 8,000 acres
  • Flooded area at crest elevation 2,400 acres
  • Initial storage capacity: 23 billion gallons
  • Water surface: 2,400 acres
  • Crest elevation: 240 feet above mean sea level
  • Area of watershed: 233 square miles
  • Built 1912 – 1914 (elevation 188 feet)
  • Crest raised 52 feet: 1921 – 1922 (elevation 240 feet)
  • Overflowed crest first time: May, 1923

Liberty Reservoir

  • Elevation above mean sea level 420 feet
  • Spillway length 480 feet
  • Total length 704 feet
  • Height of crest above stream bed 160 feet
  • Length of shore line at crest elevation 82 miles
  • Area of land owned 9,200 acres
  • Flooded area at crest elevation 3,100 acres
  • Initial storage capacity: 43 billion gallons
  • Crest elevation: 420 feet above mean sea level
  • Area of watershed: 164 square miles
  • Built: 1951 – 1954
  • Overflowed crest first time February 6, 1956

Pretty Boy Reservoir

  • Elevation above mean sea level 520 feet
  • Spillway length 274 feet
  • Total length 845 feet
  • Height of crest above stream bed 130 feet
  • Length of shore line at crest elevation 46 miles
  • Area of land owned 7,380 acres
  • Flooded area at crest elevation 1,500 acres
  • Initial storage capacity: 20 billion gallons
  • Crest elevation: 520 feet above mean sea level
  • Area of watershed: 80 square miles
  • Construction completed: 1933
  • Overflowed crest first time September 23, 1933

History of Baltimore's Water Supply

1729 - Baltimore founded.

1797 - Baltimore City incorporated. Water obtained from streams, ponds, springs and wells.

1787 - Law requires each household to have two leather buckets available to fight fires. Town Commissioners empowered to sink wells and erect pumps for this purpose on private property if requested by owner and at his expense.

1804 - Mayor and City Council of Baltimore begin efforts to construct water system.

1804 - Baltimore Water Company founded.

1807 - Jones Falls waterworks constructed.

1810 - City begins buying and preserving springs and fountains for public water supply, including Center Fountain at Market Place.

1854 - Baltimore Water Company purchased by City of Baltimore for $1,350,000. Water Department created.

1858-1862 - Lake Roland Dam built across Jones Falls; mains and conduits constructed.

1873 - Temporary pumping station constructed for Gunpowder Falls.

1875-1881 - Dam built across Gunpowder Falls; Lake Montebello and connection tunnel constructed.

1912-1914 - Construction of larger dam upstream (Loch Raven Dam) on Gunpowder Falls (188 feet above mean low water level).

1915 - Montebello Filtration Plant begins service.

1918 - 1922 - Baltimore annexes 50 square miles of surrounding territory; purchases private water companies in this area; raises Loch Raven Dam to 240 feet.

1925 - Department of Public Works established. Water Department becomes the Bureau of Water Supply under DPW.

1928 - Second filtration plant opens at Lake Montebello along with additional pumping stations.

1933 - Construction completed of Prettyboy Dam and Reservoir on Gunpowder Falls upstream of Loch Raven Reservoir.

1936 - Prettyboy Dam and Reservoir operational.

1951-1954 -Construction of Liberty Dam on North Branch Patapsco River.

1956 - Ashburton Filtration Plant activated.

1958 - Susquehanna Pipeline and Montebello Raw Water Distribution Center construction begun.

1979 - Bureau of Water and Wastewater established

Sat. May 17, 2008