Water restored to Howard County homes affected by rupture at Elkridge Pumping Station
BALTIMORE - Water has been restored to all households impacted by a 36-inch water main rupture at the Elkridge Pumping Station, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said on Monday.
More than 100,000 homes were impacted by either a water outage or low water pressure on Sunday. Most of those customers were in the Elkridge and Long Reach areas, officials said.
We are on the scene of the rupture.
— Jessica Albert (@JessicaAlbertTV) August 20, 2023
This is what we see.
A news conference will start soon. We will stream it on CBS News Baltimore @wjz pic.twitter.com/qV6AcNO0XX
Ball said that some residents within the affected areas, namely Elkridge, Columbia and Ellicott City, may experience reduced pressure while utility crews make repairs.
Crews responded quickly and switched the customers impacted over to an alternative water source.
Water has now been restored to all households that were impacted by Sunday’s 36” water main break in Elkridge. Some residents within the affected areas namely Elkridge, Columbia, and Ellicott City may experience reduced pressure while our utility crews make repairs.
— Calvin Ball (@HoCoGovExec) August 21, 2023
"There are two tanks that it actually fills, Skaggsville and Snowden," County Executive Ball said.
Ball reiterated that the water is safe to drink, and it doesn't need to be boiled.
"Again, there is no need to boil water as the distribution system was promptly isolated under pressure which prevented contamination from entering the distribution system," Ball said. "We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our residents during this time."
A 36” drinking water main coming from the Elkridge Pumping Station has ruptured. The pumping station itself is intact. Crews are working to repair the break.
— Howard County Gov't (@HoCoGov) August 20, 2023
Crews continued to work to make repairs to the water main rupture throughout the day on Monday.
At this point, crews do not know what caused the water main break.
If you continue to have issues with your water, you can reach out to Howard County by sending a message at https://www.howardcountymd.gov/tell-hoco or calling the department of public works directly at 410 313 4900.
"I remain extremely grateful to our Department of Public Works for their efforts to pursue the call to action to ensure all our residents receive access to water," Ball said.