BALTIMORE, MD — The Baltimore City Department of Public Works announced today that the number of water outages affecting customers continues to decline. Water outage reports are down to 400, compared to the more than 700 no-water reports on file less than 24 hours earlier, and less than 7 percent of the total outage reports that flooded in during the two-week stretch of sub-freezing temperatures.

Since February 14, nearly 5,800 no-water calls have been received by the Department. DPW crews continue to work around-the-clock to address the 400 outstanding water outage reports, with three dozen investigators deployed in the field. These investigators are resolving many of the basic restorations.
Meanwhile, DPW’s Maintenance Division is working on high-priority service repairs, such as restoring longer-term water outages. There are about 300 longer-term outages that DPW has previously investigated and found that the locations need additional thawing or repairs to fully restore service.

“This progress is a good show of teamwork, with hundreds of employees working through nights, weekends, and during bitter cold to restore water service to our customers,” said DPW Director Rudolph S. Chow, P.E. “We will continue to deploy all of the necessary resources in the face of this unprecedented challenge and restore service to all customers as soon as possible.”

DPW is advising residents who do not have water to turn off all taps in the house for the safety of the property. When DPW crews restore water service, they often see water running inside a property and are concerned that this flow will cause flooding. Problems with water service on the customer’s property are the responsibility of the property owner, and typically require a plumber’s attention.
Currently, there are about 30 active water main breaks in Baltimore City and County. Contractors are out in force making these repairs. Additional main breaks may occur as temperatures are expected to warm considerably later this week and then fall below freezing. When the seasons start to transition, thawing and re-freezing of the ground can occur, causing water mains to shift and to possibly break.