The Water Tower Waiting Game

As residents await the results of a water tower study, Baltimore County Councilwoman Vicki Almond warned not be to alarmed by some workers poking around the site of contention.

“In case anyone saw the surveyors at Bond Ave and Timber Grove Road this morning, my office was told by the director of public works that the surveyors are just getting information together for the report that will be coming out in a few weeks,” she said on Facebook. “Please do not be alarmed by their presence.”

Residents concerned about the water tower proposed for the corner of Timber Grove Road and Bond Avenue are playing the waiting game as public officials study 23 other potential sites for the 2-million gallon, 150-foot tall tank.

Some sites that were previously ruled out will be revisited, Baltimore County Public Works spokesman David Fidler said.

“The engineering staff, they are revisiting all the sites, nothing is off the table,” he said. “There are certain sites that certainly would not be practical, but everything is being looked at.”

Two of those sites currently have water tanks, and public works is determining if anything can be done at those sites to help with the need in the area the new tower would affect. The county released a map of the other sites and a factsheet that explained the need for the tower and requirements of a site.

The Baltimore County Public Works website, which was last updated on July 20, 2011, says many of the recommended sites were already eliminated from serious consideration.

“I can’t tell you what has been eliminated or even if it’s been eliminated,” Fidler said.

In July, Fidler said the department had a list of the best possible water tower sites, and that the site at Bond Avenue and Timber Grove Road was at the top of the list.

One of the key site requirements is an elevation of 700 feet.

Public Works director Ed Adams told the that he would return to the October meeting with a team of engineers to present the study, which will be completed in September.

Tony Baysmore, a special assistant to County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, said at the August that the top five alternate sites will be discussed at the October meeting.