Latest updates: Boil water advisory fully lifted after E. coli found in Baltimore water
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
E. coli bacteria have been detected in some samples of the water supply in parts of West Baltimore. Check back here for the latest updates.
Boil water advisory fully lifted
Update: 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 9
The boil water advisory for portions of West Baltimore has been fully lifted, city officials announced Friday morning.
The water is safe for consumption, Mayor Brandon Scott said at a news conference.
Officials are urging residents to flush their water systems before using their tap water. The city will continue to distribute water to impacted communities for a period of time, Scott said.
The city’s Department of Public Works is still looking for the root cause of the contamination, said DPW Director Jason Mitchell.
Restaurant reacts to partial lift of boil water advisory
Update: 4:55 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8
For Ginny Kearns, a partner at Shuffles Bar & Grill in Arbutus, the partial lifting of the boil water advisory was a relief.
Of course, it would have been a bigger relief if she wasn’t left with copious bags of ice and cases of sodas, she joked.
Thursday, after the advisory was lifted, Kearns had eight 40-pound bags of ice and several cases each of Sprite, ginger ale, cranberry juice and the like. Each represents extra cash she didn’t need to spend, but it will all go to use. And she said she’s thankful the advisory was fairly short-lived.
”When I carried in the last bag of ice, I was like, ‘This better end soon,’” she said with a laugh. “I didn’t think it would end this soon.”
First thing Thursday morning, Kearns and her staff flushed out their taps for 15 minutes, she said, eager to start serving fountain drinks and water once more.
Where to get water Thursday in West Baltimore
Update: 8:28 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8
The city’s Department of Public Works will distribute water at three locations Thursday beginning at 9 a.m.:
Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School, 1401 W. Lafayette Ave.
Middle Branch Park, 3301 Waterview Ave.
Lansdowne Library, 500 Third Ave.
Residents who need bottled water delivered to their homes can dial 311 to schedule a drop-off.
Ivan Bates addresses water crisis with Campaign Zero, Organizing Black
Update: 8:09 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8
Ivan Bates, the Democratic nominee for Baltimore state’s attorney, appeared Wednesday afternoon alongside Kelly Davis and other representatives of Campaign Zero and Organizing Black, both social justice organizations. They held a brief news conference while delivering cases of bottled water to Linden Park Apartments in Bolton Hill — one of many senior living communities the group brought water to on Wednesday.
The water came from all across Maryland, both purchased and donated, organizers said. They said they were distributing water to a total of 2,600 housing units in more than a dozen communities for older adults.
”The city is in crisis. Let’s be part of the solution,” Bates said during remarks to local media. He said he believes city officials are also doing their best to address the issue.
Davis said the group focused on helping seniors because they’re among the most vulnerable city residents; many have already lived through so much hardship and they deserve a break, she said.
”We could spend all day pointing fingers,” she said. “But we all have to do our part. I think that’s beautiful and that should be the takeaway.”
Baltimore partially lifts boil water advisory, instructs residents to flush water
Update: 11:05 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7
Baltimore has lifted the water boil advisory for areas south and southwest of Route 40 after samples came back negative for E. coli contamination, Mayor Brandon Scott and city officials said at a news conference Wednesday evening.
A required water boil advisory is still in effect for neighborhoods in West Baltimore north of Route 40.
Water bills will be reduced citywide by 25% in the next cycle to account for the inconvenience and to cover pipe flushing, Scott said.
Scott said the city’s water distribution efforts will continue Thursday as scheduled.
City officials instructed residents in areas where the advisory was lifted to flush their pipes before consuming their tap water again by using the following steps:
Run cold water taps for 15 minutes, beginning with the lowest faucet in a building and moving one by one to the faucet on the highest floor.
After 15 minutes, turn off the faucets in reverse order, from highest to lowest.
Residents should also flush their refrigerators’ water lines and run appliances like washing machines and dishwashers.
All ice made since the boil water advisory was put in place should be thrown out, along with the next three batches of ice.
Wipe ice maker containers clean with a solution of two tablespoons bleach to a gallon of water.
Apartment buildings and multistory buildings should notify all residents of the procedure and flush starting with the closest tap to the water connection moving outward.
Two of three Baltimore sites that originally had E. coli contamination in water now test negative, officials say
Update: 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7
Latest from Mayor Brandon Scott and city officials at a news conference Wednesday afternoon:
The city is still working to determine the source of the E. coli found and the water boil advisory remains in effect.
City officials are testing 90 locations inside and outside of the impacted area, and expect to conclude testing Thursday. Of the 25 results that have come back so far, one sample showed a positive result for E. coli, at a police facility at 1034 N. Mount St., one of the three sites that first showed E. coli over the weekend. The other two sites, a fire station at 1503 W. Lafayette Ave. and another location at 920 N. Carey St., showed negative results when retested.
In addition to the sampling, Department of Public Works staff are also working to identify the contamination’s cause by identifying construction projects, testing for leaks, performing valve assessments and checking chlorine assessments in the area.
No illnesses stemming from the contamination have been confirmed. The health department was investigating two cases of gastrointestinal illnesses to determine whether the individuals had been infected with E. coli.
Residents who need bottled water delivered to their homes can dial 311 to schedule a drop-off.
Mayor, city officials to provide updates on water contamination
Update: 2:55 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott and officials from the Department of Public Works and Office of Emergency Management announced that they will provide updates on the status of E. coli and coliform water contamination present in parts of West and Southwest Baltimore at 3:30 p.m. More information to come.
Where to get water on Wednesday
Update: 9:29 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7
The city’s Department of Public Works will distribute water at three locations Wednesday beginning at 9 a.m.:
Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School, 1401 W. Lafayette Ave.
Middle Branch Park, 3301 Waterview Ave.
Lansdowne Library, 500 Third Ave.
Baltimore County residents can get water from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Fire Station 5 at 4501 Washington Boulevard in Halethorpe, at the Lansdowne Library and at Our Lady of Victory in Baltimore.
Avenue Market in Upton closed Tuesday
Update: 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
The Avenue Market was closed Tuesday due to the boil water advisory in the surrounding neighborhoods, according to a post on the market’s Facebook page Tuesday morning. “Avenue Market will be CLOSED TODAY until we receive the ALL CLEAR from the city,” the post said.
Located in the 1700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in Upton, the city-owned public market falls inside the West Baltimore boil water advisory zone identified by the Department of Public Works.
Originally known as Lafayette Market when it opened in 1871, the market underwent a renovation in the 1990s and was renamed the Avenue Market. The city has designated neighborhoods close to the market as “healthy food priority areas,” formerly called food deserts, where the median household income is low and residents lack cars and easy access to supermarkets.
West Baltimore health care providers adapt
Update: 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
As city officials work to fix the water contamination issue affecting West Baltimore, health care providers have taken steps to protect patients and staff from potentially unsafe water.
Total Health Care, a nonprofit that operates eight health centers for disadvantaged residents, temporarily closed four affected locations, including Division, Saratoga, Open Gates and Westside Shopping Center, according to the group’s website.
Pharmacy sites remain open. And “impacted patients will be contacted to reschedule for the telehealth or in-person appointment,” the site says.
At Grace Medical Center, hospital officials are providing bottled water for patients and staff, according to Sharon Boston, a spokeswoman for LifeBridge Health. Water dispensers and ice machines also have been covered, and signs are advising people to use hand sanitizer after washing their hands.
”We have opened a virtual command center to manage the situation and ensure that patient care is not affected,” she said.
”We are regularly communicating with patients, visitors and staff, and the command center is also in communication with the city of Baltimore,” Boston said. “LifeBridge Health has emergency management teams who prepare and practice for these types of events, and those teams are actively preparing to manage the situation both in the short and long-term, as needed.”
Some West Baltimore grocery stores see influx of customers buying bottled water in bulk Tuesday
Update: 4:49 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
At Price Rite Marketplace of West Pratt Street, employee Mercedes Thurman said customers at the Franklin Square grocery store were buying five or more cases of water at a time. Shoppers are purchasing bottled water in every size, from gallons to individual water in cases, Thurman said.
“We have some left, but eventually it’s going to be gone,” she said.
She said that so far, people coming to the store to buy water have been calm.
“But if stores run out of water, they ain’t going to be calm,” Thurman said.
Steve Banks, manager of a Save A Lot store on Pennsylvania Avenue in Upton, said that he had seen many customers buying bottled water Tuesday.
”Most of it’s been the gallon-bottle of water,” Banks said. Shoppers are also buying 32-packs of water bottles. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, the store still had water available.
Baltimoreans react to boil water advisory in Harlem Park
Update: 4:35 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
Tuesday afternoon, cars whizzed past the Harlem Park Recreation Center on North Calhoun, stopping only briefly as workers loaded gallon jugs of water through open windows. James Edwards, 50, walked to the water distribution site outside the recreation center Tuesday afternoon with a small cart in tow. Edwards said he already had some bottled water in his home, but the three gallons he received from the city were a much-needed supplement.
Lately, though, Edwards said it’s felt like one problem after another. ”If it ain’t the corona[virus], it’s the water,” he said. “The next you know, they’re going to say we can’t breathe fresh air.”
Tykia Dudley, 28, who lives in the Harlem Park area, called the water contamination “terrifying.” She said she first learned about the situation on Sunday from social media posts. Since then, she hasn’t received any direct communication from the city — no one has knocked on her door or left a letter explaining the situation.
Now, she’s left wondering if an illness she suffered in mid-August could have been related to the contamination. She suffered stomach pains, nausea, feverishness and other symptoms, she said.
Dudley said she lives with her son, her daughter, her fiance, her mother and three of her siblings, so the three gallons of bottled water she received at the Harlem Park pick-up site Tuesday afternoon will not last long.
”For all of us, it’s not a lot,” she said.
Demetrice Clark, 61, said she found out about the boil water advisory Monday evening from the news media. She felt concerned because she’d been drinking the water during the day, and she’s felt ill since then, though she doesn’t know if the water contamination could have contributed.
Meanwhile, Clark said the uncertainty surrounding how long the boil water advisory might last is unsettling.
”It’s hard,” she said. “We don’t know when it’s going to end.”
Organizers say burden for city water issue is falling on those who can least afford it
Update: 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
Rianna Eckel, a Baltimore organizer with Food and Water Watch and the Baltimore Right to Water Coalition, called the problems “horrific,” especially since they are largely affecting predominantly Black and low-income neighborhoods for which water bills are often unaffordable.
A recent report on water affordability by the Maryland Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that rising infrastructure costs combined with declining federal investment has led to a 500% increase in water rates over the past two decades, a period during which the median income in Baltimore rose just 60%.
The report found that more than half of city residents could not afford their water bills in 2019, contributing to epidemics of water shutoffs and tax sales of homes for unpaid bills in some of the same neighborhoods now facing the boil water advisory.
That stresses a need to secure more federal money for water system upgrades in Baltimore and majority-Black cities like it, Eckel said.
”We can’t keep putting the burden of upgrading the system on people that are already struggling to make ends meet,” she said.
Baltimore has history of ensuring safe drinking water
Update: 4:09 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
Baltimore’s water system serves 1.8 million households and businesses in the city and parts of Baltimore and Howard counties. Its supply is held in three reservoirs outside the city — Loch Raven, Prettyboy and Liberty reservoirs — and filtered at three city plants, two at Lake Montebello and one in Ashburton.
The system has a capacity of 400 million gallons per day, while during times of drought, that can be supplemented via the Susquehanna River through the Deer Creek Pumping Station.
The water system has seen investments in recent years to replace surface water storage to buried tanks, including at Lake Montebello and in ongoing projects in Guilford and at Druid Lake.
Public works officials say they are constantly testing to ensure water is safe to drink, taking samples from 90 locations, about 360 samples a month. At the same time, the system’s age can make problems widespread, and challenging to keep up with.
There are more than 4,000 miles of water mains across the system, mostly made of cast or ductile iron, with an average age of 75 years. Some mains date to before the Civil War.
The latest annual report on the city’s drinking water quality found it met all regulatory standards. Samples did show measurable levels of PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals,” a pollutant for which the Environmental Protection Agency may soon strengthen oversight.
Baltimore has a history of ensuring a safe water supply.
Baltimorean Abel Wolman, for whom a city office building is named, is considered to be responsible for creating standards and designs that ensured safe drinking water in Baltimore and in cities around the country. Along with chemist Linn Enslow, Wolman conducted research that established safe levels of chlorination in public water systems to protect public health.
The division of the city Department of Public Works responsible for maintaining the drinking water system is separate from the one in charge of wastewater treatment, which has been at the center of major environmental concerns for the past year. Major failures have been reported at both of the city’s wastewater treatment plants, leading to unsafe levels of bacteria and alarmingly high levels of pollution in waterways.
Blue Water Baltimore calls on city to explain delays, opt for transparency in ‘ongoing public health emergency’
Update: 3:56 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
Blue Water Baltimore Executive Director Tony Bridges said Baltimore City’s communications about the E. coli contamination have been “very problematic.”
Bridges said city employees apparently were aware that drinking water tested positive for E. coli as early as Sunday. However, there was no urgency in notifying residents or clarity in the messaging.
“Residents of the affected areas, and all residents of Baltimore and surrounding communities were left wondering what was happening for another 9 hours with no additional information provided about how to keep themselves and their neighbors safe amidst this ongoing public health emergency.
“The information that did eventually reach residents was confusing and long overdue. The City needs to account for the unjust delays in issuing a public alert and make transparency a part of their plan going forward.”
Bridges acknowledged the history of infrastructure failures in the city.
“The drinking water crisis in West Baltimore is a stark reminder of the systemic problems with Baltimore’s water infrastructure — a problem built over decades that presents an ongoing threat to the health of our neighbors and waterways.”
As Baltimore awaits updates on E. coli water contamination, frustration builds over communication
Update: 3:36 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
Members of the Baltimore City Council who represent the affected areas are reaching out to city residents in need of clean water and speaking to those who may not have seen earlier announcements from the Department of Public Works.
“We cannot expect Baltimoreans to invest in the future of the city when the city does not invest in their ability to have a healthy tomorrow,” Councilwoman Phylicia Porter said in a statement. “People who have historically borne the brunt of generational negligence of our city infrastructure are asked to accommodate and understand the shortcomings of failing systems. We must do better. We must prioritize the health and safety of everyone across Baltimore City.”
What to know about E. coli
Update: 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
E. coli is bacteria found in food, the environment and the intestines of humans and animals. Their presence in the city’s water supply indicates that the water might be contaminated with human or animal wastes, according to a news release from the city’s Office of the Comptroller.
People who become ill from the bacteria are encouraged to call their doctors if diarrhea lasts longer than three days, is bloody or is accompanied by a fever higher than 102 degrees, or by vomiting so severe that patients can’t keep liquid down.
The public works department also suggested that residents living in the impacted area boil water coming from faucets for at least a minute before using it. Water should be brought to a full, rolling boil for at least a minute and then cooled before using, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends using boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth and feeding pets, and for preparing or cooking food. Filtered tap water also should be boiled.
Few changes at restaurants within boil water advisory area, but city guidance is lacking
Update: 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6
As Baltimore’s boil water advisory continues for a second day, some local restaurants are operating as normal without any guidance from city health officials about the possible water contamination with E. coli.
“No one has told us differently or that there’s something wrong with the water here,” said an employee who answered the phone at Mt. Royal Tavern at 1204 W. Mt. Royal Ave. They said the popular dive bar was open as usual.
At the Land of Kush, a vegetarian soul food restaurant in Seton Hill, lunch service was proceeding without a hitch with one exception. The homemade drinks have been removed from the menu.
“We’re already boiling our water to prepare our food,” said Correy Albritton, the general manager, adding that the restaurant had received calls about the water issue. “People know our food quality and that it will be cooked properly.”
He said the restaurant at 840 N. Eutaw St. had not received any outreach from city officials regarding the water issue.
Dovecote Cafe, which offers baked goods, sandwiches and soups, was relying on food that had been prepped in advance of the boil water advisory. The usual coffees and teas were not being offered.
“Luckily, we had our prep already done, so it’s no big deal as yet,” said Dria Somerville, the chef-owner of Dovecote Cafe at 2501 Madison Ave. She said business is typically slower on a Tuesday, especially after a holiday, so it’s hard to tell how much of a factor the boil water advisory is for customers.
Somerville said she found out about the possible contamination from colleagues in a group chat. She hopes the issue is resolved quickly because the restaurant will soon need to restock pastries and other goods that are made in-house.
“If this [boil water alert] stays present throughout the rest of the week, it will be a problem,” Somerville said.
Boil water advisory and where to get water
Update: 12 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6.
A boil water alert remains in effect for a roughly 56-block area of West Baltimore that includes Sandtown-Winchester and Harlem Park after E. coli bacteria was detected in the area’s water supply.
A precautionary boil water advisory was issued Monday for a far larger area stretching from Druid Hill Park across West and Southwest Baltimore and to the Patapsco River in Southwest Baltimore County. DPW’s most recent water samples from that wider area were negative for E. coli and total coliform.
Check the Department of Public Works’ interactive map to see the alert and advisory areas. (Click OK in the lower right-hand corner to reach the map.)
In addition to boiling water at home, here’s where residents can obtain water.
Water at schools
Impacted schools will provide hand sanitizer and use bottled water for drinking, according to a news release from Baltimore City Public Schools. Additionally, all meals will be prepared off-site for schools.
In Baltimore City, the water quality issue has impacted schools in the Harlem Park neighborhood. Those schools include: Furman Templeton Preparatory Academy, Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School, Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy West, Frederick Elementary School, Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts and Career Academy.
Schools in the Southwest area of Baltimore County are also taking precautions due to the water quality.
City officials update on contamination
The city Department of Public Works first learned Saturday of potential contamination at a test site in the Sandtown-Winchester and Harlem Park communities. The specimen was retested to confirm the contamination per emergency protocol ahead of notifying the public, Mayor Brandon Scott said at a news conference Monday evening.
Some community members didn’t learn of the contamination until Monday morning, in some cases by word-of-mouth from neighbors. The contamination is not known to have sickened anyone, officials said.
The city public works department said in a news release that officials still were searching Monday afternoon for the source of the contamination. The department said it was flushing the system continuously to introduce turnover, increasing chlorination in the area, and performing leak detection and valve assessments.
Officials said they were confident the contamination was not associated with wastewater treatment or its three water treatment plants, which test every two hours and have not produced unusual results recently. Still, problems can occur where bacteria are introduced to water in the distribution system. When that occurs, the best remedy is to increase the dosage of chlorine, officials said.
Much of Baltimore’s water and sewage system is aging and water main breaks and sewage leaks are common.
In the meantime, the public works department is surveying and sampling other locations within the impacted zone and retesting locations that previously tested negative. The department also is identifying construction projects that may have caused potential impacts to the water system, checking for leaks and monitoring chlorine levels.
What to do if you become ill
E. coli contamination can cause intestinal distress with symptoms that include stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. It’s often spread during contact with feces. Illness caused by the bacteria usually is mild and clears up on its own, but in rare cases, a potentially life-threatening complication can result about a week following the initial infection, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.
The CDC said E. coli can enter the water supply from sewage overflows, sewage systems that are not working properly, polluted stormwater runoff, or agricultural runoff. Much of Baltimore’s water and sewer infrastructure is quite old and failures such as sewage spills and water main breaks are common.
