The U.S. EPA has issued a unilateral administrative order to the City of Baltimore, Maryland, ordering the city to comply with Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) safeguards after allegedly failing to cover/treat its water reservoirs.
EPA says that the City of Baltimore did not comply with the Long-Term Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, a SDWA regulation meant to protect drinking water supplies from bacterial threats.
The agency says that Baltimore did not fully comply with a July 2010 consent order, where EPA had required Baltimore to cover or provide treatment for its uncovered finished water reservoirs by December 31, 2018. Two of the city’s finished water reservoirs — Druid Lake and Ashburton — remain uncovered and untreated.
EPA has been working closely with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and MDE supports this action.
EPA says that it hopes to reach an agreement to address concerns with compliance. However, the agency also claims that a unilateral order is appropriate because of repeated delays by the city.
Among other actions, EPA’s order requires the city to
respond to EPA and MDE in writing within 7 days of the effective date of the order (May 15, 2023) outlining actions it has taken and will take to comply with the order,
conduct monthly monitoring and sampling of the Druid Lake and Ashburton reservoirs, and
submit monthly reports on the progress that the city is making to install tanks to replace the two uncovered finished reservoirs.
A copy of the administrative order is available on EPA’s website here.
