Council raises alarm over rising unaccounted-for water, seeks operator briefing

Baltimore Village councilors discussed growing water loss, repair priorities and financing during their regular meeting, and asked staff to bring the village water operator to the next service meeting to answer detailed questions.

Council members said unaccounted-for water and repair backlogs have grown over several years, and staff reported they are pursuing grants and low-interest loans while negotiating with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on infiltration and inflow (I&I) compliance. Village Administrator Brian Bibler said the village is preparing plans and has submitted a most recent recommendation to the EPA as part of an ongoing negotiation process.

Why it matters: A rising gap between water produced and billed can signal leaks, meter failure or other system loss that can drive up operational costs and require major capital investments. Councilors pressed for clearer data and a direct briefing from the operator before the next service meeting.

Council discussion and details Councilors recounted multi-year increases in billed water-related liabilities: five years ago the figure discussed was about $1,000,000; January 2024 figures were cited around $2,100,000 and January of the current year about $3,500,000, according to remarks during the meeting. A council member said, “we're really moving in the wrong direction here, and I'm really getting more and more alarmed about” (transcript). Staff noted some meters do not report and that meter performance and I&I are major drivers of the disparity between water leaving the plant and water appearing on customer bills.

Staff reported they received an estimate “pretty good” for new wells and related work, and that preliminary pricing for working wells “was the prices for $1,000,000,” according to remarks recorded at the meeting. That estimate is described as preliminary; staff said they would circulate the estimate after consulting the water team.

Wastewater and interagency work On wastewater, staff said operations continue with routine sampling and reporting to EPA; a memorandum of understanding with a third-party (Greif) remains under legal review at that company. Jimmy Hickle of Greif was identified in the meeting as a contact whose organization’s legal review is ongoing.

Requests and next steps Councilors asked that Scott, the village water operator named during the meeting, attend the next service committee meeting to present historical production-and-billing data and answer technical questions about identified loss areas. The meeting record notes staff direction to request the operator’s appearance and to continue pursuing grants or loans (including 0% or low-interest possibilities) to fund water-line and treatment-plant work.

Clarifying details from the meeting - Preliminary estimate for new wells: approximately $1,000,000 (staff described the pricing as “for working wells”). - Reported billed/liability figures mentioned in council remarks: ~ $1,000,000 (five years ago); ~ $2,100,000 (Jan. 2024); ~ $3,500,000 (Jan. current year). Councilors characterized these as cause for concern. - Operational issues flagged: nonreporting meters; an identified section with high loss (a small-diameter pipe was singled out in discussion). - EPA engagement: staff said the village has submitted a most recent plan and is negotiating with EPA on I&I compliance; they described the village as “a lot more in compliance than we have” historically.

Ending Councilors did not approve any immediate capital spending at the meeting; they directed staff to schedule the water operator for the next service meeting, to circulate the new-well estimate to council, and to continue pursuing grant and loan funding options while the village negotiates with EPA.