May 3, 2006 Restrictions Will Remain in Place

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Annapolis (August 4, 2006) - County Executive Janet S. Owens today announced that the enhanced public water restrictions put in place July 31, 2006 are being lifted for the 13 impacted zip code areas in north county. The water restrictions for these 13 areas will now revert back to the original restrictions that were put in place May 3, 2006.

Saturday night, the Department of Public Works identified a major leak in a 42" water main along Marley Neck Boulevard. The leak was isolated that night and final repairs were completed late Tuesday; however, as a result of this leak, a significant amount of water was lost from the Pasadena/Glen Burnie public water supply system. This loss of water depleted tanks across north county that were already strained from the dry, hot weather conditions and the loss of the 10 million gallons of water a day from a Baltimore County water line taken out of service in January.

"I want to express my sincere appreciation to the residents and businesses in northern Anne Arundel County for adhering to the restrictions during this critical period," said County Executive Janet S. Owens. "In addition, County crews and contractors worked tirelessly in extreme weather conditions to make the repairs and minimize any interruption to service. I am pleased to report that, as a result of all these efforts, water storage tanks are once again at safe levels; however, it is still necessary to adhere to the previous restrictions announced in May."

Starting Sunday, outdoor water restrictions in the voluntary area were enhanced. By Monday, public water customers in all 13 north county zip code areas were prohibited from using any outdoor water at any time because the tanks had become critically low. The 24-hour outdoor water usage ban was announced in order to have enough water on-hand for public safety and indoor needs while allowing the tanks to refill.

As of 3:00 today, public water customers in north county will revert back to the water restrictions put in place on May 3. The following zip code areas are under mandatory restrictions: 21225, 21090, 21240, 21061, 21144, 21076, 21077, 20701, 20794 and 20724. The following zip code areas are under voluntary restrictions: 21122, 21060, and 21226.

The County Executive and the Department of Public Works remind all county residents and businesses, including those on private wells, that water conservation is always important.

For further information on the public water restrictions, the public may call (410) 222-4420.