The city of Baltimore’s Department of Public Works learned on September 26th that extremely low levels of the parasite cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite that causes gastric distress like watery diarrhea, had been identified in the Druid Hill Reservoir. It alerted the public of the contamination via press release and social media on September 28th.
That initial sample was taken during a test mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency on September 19th.
During a hastily-scheduled hearing on Wednesday, councilmembers in the Health, Environment, and Technology Committee pressed DPW for answers as to why notices didn’t go out sooner or across more platforms, especially after last year’s e.coli outbreak.
The city’s sanitation system is under a modified consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice, and the Maryland Department of the Environment. For that reason, city officials said they are not at liberty to independently do their own emergency messaging.
“We cannot communicate with the public without it being approved by the state,” said City Administrator Faith Leach.
That would include emergency text alerts, which the city did not do.
“It's important to note that anytime there's an advisory that has to be issued by the city in terms of the water system, we do have to coordinate with our state regulatory agency, before we issue that notification. And then there's a series of both a round of editing in terms of how we propose the language to be and then the state to approve that language,” said Richard Luna, acting director of DPW.
Luna described that the department essentially had to spend a day coordinating its messaging before DPW could notify the public, including local hospitals.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the state environmental department wrote that they, “work closely with the Baltimore City Department of Public Works” and the EPA to “ensure that city drinking water customers are informed on this matter and appropriate steps are taken to minimize risks to public health.”
Results from tested samples come back about a week after they were taken, DPW has said repeatedly. The Baltimore Banner reported earlier this month that the Druid Hill Reservoir samples were sent to Analytical Services, Inc. in Williston, Vermont. There are labs that can analyze and send results back within 24 hours.
Councilmember James Torrence of the seventh district asked if it was possible to use another vendor to get results back quicker.
Luna said DPW is working with the contracted lab to “get results back as quickly as possible.” He also said he is aware that there are other laboratories that may be able to do the work faster.
“We've asked the state to provide that guidance as well to us to see if there's one that they could provide, or refer us to,” he said. MDE did not respond to WYPR’s question about laboratory vendors.
The water in Druid Hill reservoir provides drinking water to large parts of Baltimore City and parts of both Howard and Baltimore counties. It is an open-air reservoir; the water is treated and filtered before it goes into the reservoir and from there it is distributed. Since it is open, it is at risk of contaminants like giardia and cryptosporidium from animal droppings. The EPA has ordered the city to replace it with underground water tanks which Luna said the department is on track to do by the end of this year.
DPW has received two negative tests for the parasite at Druid Hill Reservoir since October 3rd.
