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Bowie staff outline $200M-plus plan to rehab aging water and sewer lines; timeline could span decades
Summary
Public works officials presented the status and long-term cost projections for Bowie’s water and sewer rehabilitation program, describing a phased approach, funding sources and the risk that much of the system will remain to be replaced after 2030 without sustained investment.
City of Bowie public works staff on Sept. 2 gave an update on the city’s water and sewer rehabilitation program that included projected costs, the length of pipe remaining to be replaced and funding sources the city is using now and will need going forward.
Dr. Ahn, the director of public works, told the council the city’s water plant produces about 1.6 million gallons per day for roughly 8,000 customer accounts and serves about 25,000 residents. The system includes roughly 90 miles of water and sewer piping, more than 500 fire hydrants and about 2,100 manholes. “Our water plant currently generates about 1,600,000 gallons per day, serving 8,000 accounts,” Dr. Ahn said in his presentation.
Dr. Ahn summarized work completed since fiscal year 2021 and plans through FY2030. Since FY21 the city has rehabilitated more than 40,000 linear feet (about 7.6 miles) of water main at a cost “a little over $10,000,000,” he said. For FY26–FY30 staff proposed rehabbing a little over 60,000 linear feet (about 12+ miles) of water main at an estimated cost of about $23,000,000. After FY2030 Dr. Ahn said roughly 350,000 linear feet—about 65 miles, roughly 72% of the system—would still need attention. Using average costs from recent projects, he estimated that addressing that remaining 65 miles could cost approximately $123,000,000; in a later summary slide he presented a consolidated figure of about $246,000,000 for the water program’s longer-range needs.
On the sewer side Dr. Ahn said the city’s local sewer network is roughly 350,000 linear feet and the trunk/force-main system about 130,000 linear feet. The city performed its first year of a sewer-rehabilitation program last fiscal year, repairing about 11,000 linear feet (2.2 miles) at a cost of roughly $1.5 million. For FY26–FY30 the plan anticipates about 66,000 linear feet (12.7 miles) of local sewer work at an estimated $11.5 million; that would leave about 60% of local sewer miles to be addressed after FY2030 at a projected cost of about $60 million. Separately Dr. Ahn estimated force-main rehabilitation (about 25 miles, high-cost work because of bypass and pressure conditions) could total roughly $50 million. He summarized the sewer needs as a roughly $110,000,000 program over time.
Dr. Ahn emphasized pipe materials and failure rates: roughly 97% of the city’s water mains are cast iron, with typical lifespans of 50–70 years, and Maryland soils’ acidity accelerates deterioration. The city experienced 20 water-main breaks last fiscal year—about twice a widely cited national average of 11.3 breaks per 100 miles per year—and staff said each break costs about $10,000 for repair, not counting service disruptions.
Finance Director H. Byron Matthews described the city’s two-pronged funding approach: a service charge implemented in 2018 that generates about $750,000 annually to supplement maintenance plus using debt issuance (bonds) for major capital work. Matthews said the city has also pursued federal and state grants; staff reported a recent $2 million federal award and noted that the city has used other sources to increase work completed beyond locally generated funds.
Councilmembers raised questions about hot spots versus a systematic program, costing drivers, the choice of construction approaches (cut-and-replace versus structural lining), and short-term customer relief. Dr. Ahn said staff are pursuing an area-based systematic approach to minimize mobilization costs and to maximize linear feet addressed per dollar; lining is the typical structural method for local sewers that preserves pipe integrity when feasible. Councilmembers discussed a reimbursement pilot program for point-of-use filters for homes reporting discoloration; staff said the program exists but had not received applications this year.
Council members and staff also linked utility work with roadway and sidewalk maintenance: rehabilitating underground pipes before paving prevents later utility cuts and reduces total lifecycle costs for the city’s infrastructure.
Ending: City staff recommended continuing the multi-year rehabilitation program, combining local revenues, federal/state grants and debt issuance. Council members asked staff to continue outreach on the program, to provide more detail about funding alternatives and to coordinate utility work with paving to limit neighborhood disruption.
