Maryland

Maryland jurisdictions consider transforming their wastewater into drinkable water

Published

2 years ago

August 5, 2024

Maryland jurisdictions consider transforming their wastewater into drinkable water

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Facing a limited supply of drinking water, Carroll County’s Westminster, Maryland, plans to draw from a surprising source—its own sewage.

This winter, the city of 20,000 will begin constructing a new building at its wastewater treatment plant, where already-treated wastewater will be purified with an array of special membranes and UV light, and sent into the city’s drinking water reservoir—rather than discharged into a creek.

Named PUREWater Westminster, it would be Maryland’s first project to reuse wastewater for drinking water, an already common practice in water-poor parts of the United States, like the Southwest, that is spreading elsewhere as a changing climate and burgeoning development threaten the availability of water.

A second Maryland water reuse project could come in Anne Arundel County, which is studying injecting purified wastewater into its groundwater aquifer, its principal source of fresh water.

Both projects would be classified as “indirect potable reuse,” since they would send purified water into the natural environment before sending it to residents’ taps.

The practice is gaining popularity on the East Coast, thanks to aging sewage treatment plants, as well as increased demand caused by population growth and a growing drought threat, said Patricia Sinicropi, executive director of industry group WateReuse.

“People are ready to look at a system that provides more reliability, gives them more control. They don’t have to worry about population growth, because they have a base system that can provide the amount of potable water—and other water—that they need,” Sinicropi said.

Because such reuse is foreign to Maryland, getting Westminster’s project started required a new state law—as will Anne Arundel’s, officials say. Westminster also undertook a careful public information campaign, to prevent an “ick factor” from stirring resident resistance.

Mayor Mona Becker, who is also the science department chair at Westminster High School and holds a doctoral degree in geochemistry, has become the project’s de facto spokesperson, bringing demonstrations to community meetings around the city.

The campaign, which also included notes on water customers’ bills and on doors around the city, is aided perhaps by the fact that the purified water will be treated again by the city’s drinking water plant after it hits the Cranberry Reservoir, even though it will already exceed drinking water standards.

“Sometimes, these facilities—when people argue against them—they call it toilet-to-tap, which just sounds gross, and that’s not what it is,” Becker said. “We wanted to avoid that sort of angst among our residents that this was going to be something like that.”

For Becker, the project’s story starts back in 2002, when a drought laid bare the inadequacy of the city’s water supply. The city issued mandatory water use restrictions and had to truck in drinking water.

In 2007, a consent decree with Maryland environmental regulators required Westminster to more carefully manage its drinking water, since it had promised more water to homes and businesses than it could provide consistently, particularly during extreme droughts.

“Maryland’s been blessed as a water-rich state. Unlike states, say, out in the West, we haven’t had to deal with critical water shortages, except in a few key areas—Westminster being one of them,” said Les Knapp, government relations director at the Maryland Department of the Environment. “However, now we are seeing more and more jurisdictions facing water issues, mostly due to climate change and continued population growth.”

Westminster doesn’t sit next to a large river or a spring-fed lake. So, it relies on groundwater wells and a small reservoir, both dependent on rainwater, Becker said.

“The water situation in Westminster—it’s sort of our Achilles heel,” she said.

Water scarcity hasn’t prevented development in the city, but it’s an added barrier, Becker said. Westminster’s water system provides service to about 20,000 additional properties outside the city limits, but the municipality now requires new construction to be annexed into the city—and pay city taxes—to receive water service, Becker said.

“We want your tax dollars to come to the city, especially if we’re providing you with this—really—this scarce resource that we have,” Becker said.

The idea of reusing wastewater to supplement the water supply in Westminster first arose about eight years ago, championed by the city’s then-director of public works, Becker said. The first step was to set up a small-scale pilot version of the purification technology at the city’s wastewater plant—and test the water that came out of it.

The four-step system, designed by Gaithersburg-based WATEK Engineering, starts with treated wastewater, which can be released into the environment because most solids and contaminants have been removed.

It filters that water first through a round of membranes, removing particles as small as 1,000th the diameter of a human hair. Then comes a process called reverse osmosis, which forces the water under high pressure through another even tighter membrane, rejecting other dissolved contaminants.

A combination of ultraviolet light and oxidant chemicals like hydrogen peroxide neutralize the remaining pollutants. Finally, a granular activated carbon filter removes any trace oxidant chemicals or contaminants.

The pilot program ran for about nine months, said WATEK President Ben Movahed. Thousands and thousands of samples showed the purified water met and often surpassed federal standards—results positive enough that Becker and the scientists sipped the water themselves.

“The conclusion was: This is exactly the technology that we’re going to design,” Movahed said.

PUREWater’s pilot also produced water with a bonus: It met the federal government’s stringent new drinking water standards for PFAS, harmful “forever chemicals” that are difficult to remove from water. In fact, testing returned “non-detect” results for the relevant PFAS, said Movahed, crediting the use of reverse osmosis.

“Why are we using reverse osmosis? I would say that reverse osmosis removes contaminants that you probably don’t know yet. And that’s exactly what happened with PFAS,” Movahed said.

The idea of treating wastewater to drink may shock some, particularly those familiar with the failings of Baltimore’s two massive wastewater plants. For years, peaking in 2021 and 2022, the facilities frequently discharged water containing excessive amounts of bacteria, solid particles and nutrients into the Patapsco and Back Rivers, resulting in a $4.75 million state fine and a consent decree for the city.

But automatic safeguards within the PUREWater system would shut the reuse system down if similar mechanical issues struck at Westminster’s far smaller sewage treatment plant, Movahed said.

“Even if it happens at two o’clock in the morning, that valve will shut down, the equipment will go through a wash cycle, and we’ll get ready for the operator to come and see what’s going on,” he said.

The membranes in the PUREWater facility also are designed to prevent contaminants of a certain size from passing through, regardless of how many are present, Movahed said.

The system will be housed in a new building at Westminster’s wastewater plant, which will include an observation area for visitors to learn about the technology.

Construction is expected to begin by January, and the team aims to have the facility, which will treat about 10% of the city’s wastewater, online 12 to 14 months later, Movahed said. The project is estimated to cost $14 to $16 million.

By comparison, Anne Arundel’s project began with the goal of addressing an entirely different problem—reducing pollution sent into the Chesapeake Bay, said Chris Murphy, engineering administrator for the county’s public works department.

Traditionally, when water leaves a wastewater treatment plant, it is discharged into a nearby body of water, in this case the Little Patuxent River. The water must meet standards for the amount of bay-polluting nitrogen and phosphorus it contains, but it still adds some of those nutrients to the bay, which fuel damaging algae blooms.

If you take some of that treated wastewater, purify it and then pump it into the groundwater, the amount of pollution added to the bay decreases.

As an added bonus, the project supplements the county’s drinking water supply, which faces high demand. On average, the county pulls 36.5 million gallons per day from the aquifer, the largest quantity of any jurisdiction in the state, said Beth O’Connell, deputy director of the bureau of engineering at the county’s public works department.

“If you can imagine, the aquifer has a whole bunch of straws in it. You’ve got the straws sucking out water. You’ve got it from private wells, you’ve got it from (county) wells,” O’Connell said. “When the aquifer loses pressure, the soils consolidate, and at a certain point, they no longer rebound—meaning you could no longer put more water into the aquifer.”

“In certain parts of the county, as they have to replace their well, or do a new one, they have to go into a different aquifer,” O’Connell said. “They have to go deeper.”

If the reuse project is completed, the water entering the aquifer may not show up in consumers’ taps. Studies show it wouldn’t stray far from the site of the wastewater treatment plant, even as years pass, Murphy said. But it would help the aquifer by adding pressure to it, which also could minimize intrusion from the nearby Chesapeake Bay’s saltier water. As the climate changes, and water levels rise, the pressure from that salty water will grow stronger.

To begin recharging the aquifer, Anne Arundel needs a new state law. A first attempt during last year’s session was withdrawn after disagreements between the county and the Maryland Department of the Environment, O’Connell said.

MDE wanted the county to use a membrane treatment system, similar to Westminster’s, but the county prefers to continue using granular activated carbon technology, which has proven successful based on intensive sampling, including exceeding standards for PFAS compounds. The county is in talks with the agency and hopes to advance legislation next session.

Once authorizing legislation is passed, it still could take about eight years for the county to construct its facility and bring it online, Murphy said.

In the meantime, in October 2022, the county began operating a pilot project at its wastewater treatment plant in Crofton, Maryland. It’s a small building filled with five sets of humming machinery, which cost about a million dollars to construct, and treats about 10 gallons of water per minute. A larger facility, which could handle 500,000 gallons per day, would cost in the tens of millions.

The process begins when a coagulant is added to treated wastewater to more easily separate out any extra sediment. Then, in a step called ozonation, purifying chemicals are added. Then comes two steps involving granular activated carbon filters, like the filters in Brita water pitchers, said Ramola Vaidya, a water and wastewater engineer from the engineering firm HDR, which monitors the Anne Arundel project. Finally, the water is treated with UV light.

“Imagine having a water treatment plant at the end of a wastewater treatment plant,” Vaidya said.

2024 Baltimore Sun. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Maryland

Gov. Moore seeks disaster relief for farmers hit by April cold snap

Published

9 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Moore seeks disaster relief for farmers hit by April cold snap

Gov. Wes Moore has requested a federal disaster declaration to help farmers recover from their losses after temperatures dipped into the 20s in April, devastating some of Maryland’s agriculture industry.

Temperatures dipped into the low to mid 20s for several hours, causing widespread damage to crops, wine grapes, berries, peaches and apples in some parts of the state.

“We had 6, 7 hours I believe here under 32 and that’s just a lot of stress on those small fruits and buds,” said Ben Butler, the farm manager of Butler’s Orchard in Germantown back in April.

Moore asked for the U.S. agriculture secretary to declare a federal disaster using Maryland Farm Service Agency data to back up the request. According to the agency, there were historic losses, including 94% of the apple crop, 99% of the peach crop and 98% of the barley in several jurisdictions.

The Maryland Wineries Association says 36% of grape acreage sustained total losses, with a $24.4 million projected deficit in wine sales for the 2026 vintage.

“For the majority of the varieties, the yield, the 2026 crop yield, will essentially be zero,” said Robert Butz, the owner of Windridge Vineyards.

The hours-long deep freeze in April left grapes at Windridge Vineyards in Germantown dead on the vine.

News4 visited Windridge Vineyards just a few days after the disaster. Butz said not only were there grape losses, some of the vines were damaged as well. He called the devastation “catastrophic.”

It’s challenging, but he said he’s pleased with the support being given to local farmers and the disaster declaration request.

“This announcement by the governor is further evidence of that, right,” Butz said. “Marylanders care about their farmers. That’s great.It’s incredibly gratifying for those who do this work.”

Moore is asking the agriculture secretary for a quick decision so emergency loans and relief programs are made available right away so farmers can prepare for the next growing season.

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Maryland

Anne Arundel County Executive Democratic candidates make their case ahead of Maryland primary

Published

21 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Press Room

Anne Arundel County Executive Democratic candidates make their case ahead of Maryland primary

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — Five candidates are running to replace Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, with four Democrats competing for their party’s nomination ahead of the Maryland primary.

Republican Dave Crawford is the only candidate on the GOP side, meaning he automatically advances from the primary. Democratic voters, however, face a choice between four candidates: county council members Allison Pickard and Pete Smith, Pittman administration Special Assistant James Kitchin, and city and regional planner Kyle Nembhard.

Pickard is serving her second term as councilwoman for the Second District.

Anne Arundel County executive democratic candidates make their case ahead of Maryland primary

Anne Arundel County executive race heats up ahead of Maryland primary

“I’m excited to move forward into the executive branch where we really get to execute and implement, uh, all of the policies that we’ve put forth,” Pickard said.

Smith has served on the county council for 14 years on and off.

“You will see that there is a crystal clear option in this race, uh, when you look at our resume when you judge me on my report card, you will see that I’ve been doing my homework for this county for the last 14 years,” Smith said.

Kitchin has served as special assistant in the Pittman administration for the past 7 years.

“I have the most relevant experience and I am the most ready on day one to come in and create a smooth transition from the Pittman administration into the next 4 years,” Kitchin said.

Nembhard has worked as a city and regional planner in the transportation field since 2002.

“I am literally an average citizen, like the majority of, of folks in Anne Arundel County, actually all the folks in Anne Arundel County. Um, who just like them, feel like their voices aren’t heard,” Nembhard said.

Where the candidates agree — and differ

All 4 Democratic candidates share similar positions on many of the county’s major issues, including housing affordability, public safety, mental health services, and education funding. Their approaches, however, differ.

On housing, Pickard emphasizes supply and transit-oriented development.

“I’ve been wholly focused on redevelopment and transit oriented development, which is exciting about creating cool spaces, uh, around our Mark station. Or our light rail stations so that maybe we’ll attract those younger folks who want to have walkable communities and really neat spaces — and be closer to where they work,” Pickard said.

All 4 candidates support increasing public safety staffing. Smith pointed to specific numbers to illustrate the strain on current personnel.

“In fact, on the police side of the house we’re about 809 positions. The reality is 1200 is where we should be at with this current population here in Anne Arundel County. We got about 850 to 900, uh, fire department personnel, uh, who are answering well over 100,000 calls every single year. That’s significant,” Smith said.

All 4 candidates also support funding mental health services and violence interruption programs. Both Nembhard and Smith expressed a personal connection to the issue and called for more community policing. Nembhard described the impact of officers who knew their neighborhoods.

“Where I grew up we were fortunate, I don’t know if that was by design or by chance, but like me and my friends, we knew the folks who, you know, walked the beat in our neighborhood. So, that intimate knowledge, that integration can make the difference between a good student who’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time getting shot,” Nembhard said.

On education, all 4 candidates support maintaining funding growth for county schools. Kitchin is the only candidate in the race endorsed by the teachers union.

“Like I’m a pro-education candidate, um, come from a pro-education family, and that didn’t change because I got their endorsement,” Kitchin said.

Public financing

Anne Arundel County has a public financing system for campaigns. Kitchin is the only candidate in this race using it.

“I’m not taking any corporate money, any PAC money, no developer money. I’m also not taking any union money,” Kitchin said.

All 4 candidates support the public financing system and said they would like to see more political candidates use it in the future.

Why vote for me?

With so much common ground among the candidates, voters may find it difficult to choose. Each candidate made their case.

Kitchin pointed to his experience inside the current administration.

“I have the most relevant experience and I am the most ready on day one to come in and create a smooth transition from the Pittman administration into the next 4 years,” Kitchin said.

Nembhard framed his candidacy around his connection to everyday residents.

“I don’t see voters. I see my neighbors, I see friends, I see family, the same people that I’m in the trenches all the time, all day, going to county council meetings and speaking up on their behalf and fighting to be heard, you know, like just, just to be heard, to have a seat at the table,” Nembhard said.

Pickard highlighted the support she has built across the county.

“I’m really proud of the coalition I’ve built, and I feel like it’s a real testament to my track record of getting results for our community,” Pickard said.

Smith pointed to his long record of service.

Early voting begins June 11. The Maryland primary is June 23. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will face Crawford in the November general election.

JAMES KITCHIN

Full interview with Anne Arundel County Executive candidate James Kitchin

Meet the candidates for Anne Arundel County Executive: James Kitchin

Key Campaign Message:
Kitchin positions himself as the candidate of government reform and transparency, emphasizing his unique use of the county’s new public financing system. As the only candidate refusing corporate, developer, PAC, and union money, he frames his campaign around eliminating special interest influence in county government.

Core Qualifications:

Executive Experience: Seven-plus years in the Pittman administration, including roles in budget, legislative affairs, and communications
Education Background: Former teacher and current spouse of a 4th-grade teacher
“Ready on Day One”: Claims unique preparation for executive role through administrative experience

Policy Priorities:

Housing: Rejects “supply-side” approach, insists on building specifically affordable units rather than hoping market-rate construction reduces costs
Education: Strongly supports record $72.8 million education increase; endorsed by Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County
Environment: Proposes “no net loss of forest” program and opposes one-size-fits-all bulk regulations
Immigration: Strongest advocate for expanding Family Protection Initiative

Notable Positions:

Only candidate using public financing system
Most detailed critique of supply-side housing theory
Emphasizes upstream public safety investments over enforcement-only approach
Supports using rainy day fund to address potential federal cuts

KYLE NEMBHARD

Full interview with Anne Arundel County Executive candidate Kyle Nembhard

Meet the candidates for Anne Arundel County Executive: Kyle Nembhard

Key Campaign Message:
Nembhard presents himself as the “average citizen” candidate bringing fresh perspective and community empowerment to county government. He emphasizes transparency, community engagement, and reducing barriers between government and residents.

Core Qualifications:

Professional Background: City and regional planner with development experience
Community Advocacy: Extensive volunteer work and community organizing
Outsider Status: Only candidate without prior elected office experience

Policy Priorities:

Housing: Supports increased supply but emphasizes affordable units near transit corridors to reduce car dependency
Education: Advocates for maximum 20 students per classroom; child of union member though not endorsed by teachers
Transportation: Strong focus on transit-oriented development and reducing car dependency
Public Safety: Emphasizes community integration of law enforcement, drawing from personal positive police relationships

Notable Positions:

Late entry candidate who couldn’t access public financing due to timing
Most detailed focus on transit and transportation solutions
Unique emphasis on empowering communities through government transparency
Economic argument for protecting immigrant workers

PETE SMITH

Full interview with Anne Arundel County Executive candidate Pete Smith

Meet the candidates for Anne Arundel County Executive: Pete Smith

Key Campaign Message:
Smith emphasizes his proven track record and deep institutional knowledge, positioning himself as the candidate who has “done the homework” through 14 years of council service and 28 years of military experience.

Core Qualifications:

Legislative Experience: 14 years on county council (with breaks), including budget committee work
Military Service: 28 years as Marine, including overseas deployments
Institutional Knowledge: Claims deepest understanding of county operations and needs

Policy Priorities:

Public Safety: Most specific staffing targets – wants 1,200 police officers (currently ~809) and 1,200-1,300 firefighters (currently 850-900)
Housing: Supports county “driving the train” rather than leaving to market; backs cottage home bill creating $200k homes
Economic Development: Strong emphasis on P3 partnerships and reducing federal dependency
Education: Detailed history supporting education funding since 2012, including Blueprint implementation

Notable Positions:

Most specific public safety staffing numbers
Created stormwater remediation fund
Personal story about police officer saving his life
Opposes 287G immigration enforcement based on experience and human dignity

ALLISON PICKARD

Full interview with Anne Arundel County Executive candidate Allison Pickard

Meet the candidates for Anne Arundel County Executive: Allison Pickard

Key Campaign Message:
Pickard presents herself as the “successful legislator” who gets things done through coalition building and bipartisan cooperation. She emphasizes governing as a “team sport” and her proven ability to pass significant legislation.

Core Qualifications:

Legislative Track Record: Two terms on county council with major bill passage
Education Experience: Former Board of Education member during significant reforms
Coalition Building: Emphasizes bringing together labor and private sector supporters

Policy Priorities:

Housing: Strong “supply-side” advocate supporting zoning changes, transit-oriented development, and smaller lot sizes to increase overall housing stock
Environment: Proudest of creating Resilience Authority and securing federal partnerships
Education: Former Board of Education member supporting teacher pay increases and continued funding growth
Federal Relations: Strongest emphasis on leveraging federal partnerships and funding

Notable Positions:

Most detailed legislative accomplishments (Resilience Authority, education reforms)
Strongest advocate for market-based housing solutions
Helped create public financing system but chose traditional fundraising route
Most experience with federal grant acquisition and partnerships

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Maryland

Comfortable and nice weather across Maryland into the weekend

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2026

Press Room

Comfortable and nice weather across Maryland into the weekend

Updated on: May 28, 2026 / 8:59 AM EDT
/ CBS Baltimore

Refreshing and dry weekend weather in Maryland

Plunging humidity levels and dry weather will be around through the rest of the workweek. Highs Thursday and Friday will top out in the upper 70s with a mixture of clouds and sunshine.

This-coming weekend is looking much drier and better for all outdoor plans across the Mid-Atlantic, compared to Memorial Day Weekend. The First Alert Forecast is mostly dry and seasonable on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Plan on a mix of sun and clouds each day. Saturday and Sunday begin with temperatures in the 50s, followed by afternoons spent in the 70s. Humidity remains low, too.

The chance of rain increases a bit during the beginning of next workweek. The next chance of wetter wet arrives on Monday. The WJZ First Alert Weather Team will be fine-tuning the return of rain in the forecast… keeping you updated on WJZ, streaming on CBS News Baltimore and on-the-go in the CBS News App.

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