Overview
- City public works leaders issued a voluntary restriction Thursday, urging customers on the Baltimore water system to cut nonessential use.
- The advisory covers Baltimore City and parts of Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard counties that share the system, and it does not apply to private wells.
- Maryland faces severe drought conditions, with Prettyboy Reservoir about six feet below normal and Liberty Reservoir about two feet below.
- Residents are asked to postpone lawn watering, fix leaks, run only full dishwasher and laundry loads, and avoid washing cars and outdoor surfaces.
- Officials are monitoring supplies and could draw treated Susquehanna River water as a backup, which may slightly change taste, with mandatory limits possible if conditions worsen.