Damaged pipes and rising sewer treatment costs are hurting Maryland residents. The ensuing sewage backups are a result of aging pipes, and they’re becoming a real issue throughout Maryland.
Due to these problems, the state’s residents have been experiencing basement flooding and raw sewage overflows from their drains, sinks, showers, and toilets for years.
Some residents are lucky enough to have the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission pay for the sewage cleanup, but it is still a hassle.
NBC Washington reported that old pipes can have holes and cracks inside them, which allows water to leak in, causing backups.
Many people avoid having these pipes fixed to preserve their landscape. According to a poll by Angie’s List, just under 80% of people have never head of trenchless sewer repair, where no-dig technology enables repairs to be done without tearing apart any landscape.
Individually fixing these problems is a little easier than fixing it for the masses. Maryland officials have been trying to find a solution to these sewage issues.
This week, Baltimore County announced that the water and sewage rates could increase up to $227 annually once they try to upgrade the county’s infrastructure.
According to WBAL-TV, there are over 3,000 miles of sewer piping in Baltimore, and 60% of it is over 50 years old, causing many problems.
Ed Adams, Department of Public Works director, stated that even with the increased efforts over the past decade to fix these sewage issues, “water main breaks and sewage overflows continue to occur.”
Adams continued, “Our goal is a reliable water distribution system along with a sewer collection system that has no overflows.”
The water and sewage price increases will go into effect on July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017, respectively. The rates will go up around $130 for the first year, and then after another 8%, rates can go up another $100. The average family uses around 100,000 gallons of water a year, which may lead to substantial costs for Baltimore residents.
