Baltimore's Eastwood residents getting water pressure back following days of issues

BALTIMORE - The sights and sounds of water are back in East Baltimore's Eastwood neighborhood after experiencing low water pressure or no water since Saturday. 

Hundreds of homes in Baltimore's Eastwood neighborhood first reported to WJZ that they had been experiencing several issues with their water supply. Neighbors said they began seeing lower water pressure, no water, and more for almost a week. 

They say this has been going on since Saturday and did not get any answers from city water officials. 

WJZ spent Wednesday afternoon visiting some of the impacted homes and returned Thursday morning to see if the issues were fixed. 

"It lasted a few days, but it was much less than this. But I still had water," said longtime Eastwood resident Rosemary Stonesifer.

She showed WJZ that her water is back to normal after experiencing low water pressure for days. 

For others like Adriane Johnson, they had either no water or lower water pressure. 

"I stayed in the house the whole Saturday because I couldn't brush my teeth or shower. That was an issue," said Johnson. "I had to order out because I couldn't cook or wash dishes or wash clothes because I work during the week and the weekend is kind of when I get kind of my chores done." 

Johnson said she learned from her neighbors online that almost everyone in her neighborhood was experiencing the same issue. 

"Maybe two or three years ago, there was a water main break. I wasn't notified then either. But you know—because of the group— everyone talks to everyone about what's going on," Johnson told WJZ.

Many residents claim they had no idea their water service would be disrupted for days.

"Why weren't we notified and why did it take so long for the water pressure to come back on," Stonestifer asked.

Wednesday WJZ reached out to Baltimore City's Department of Public Works (DPW) on Wednesday, and they did state they were working to restore pumping operations at the Colgate Pumping Station. 

"The Colgate Pumping Station experienced pumping operation disruptions. To avoid a water outage in the affected areas, DPW redirected water from neighboring portions of the water distribution system, which resulted in low-water pressure in isolated areas of the distribution system," DPW wrote in their statement. "During this period of low-water pressure, the water remained safe to drink."

DPW wrote that their department is testing the system to identify the cause of the disruption to pumping operations at the Colgate Station, which is located on 124 Old North Point Road. 

They said the root-cause testing may temporarily affect water pressure in isolated areas of the distribution system.

The department also told WJZ Wednesday, as water pressure levels return to normal, residents who may experience discolored water are advised to run all cold water taps for approximately five minutes or until the water is clear. 

DPW said if any discoloration continues, residents can report this to 311 (City) and (443) 263-2220 (County).

Customers in Eastwood say the statement wasn't enough and wish they had been told earlier.

WJZ followed up with DPW multiple times on Thursday to get residents' questions answered. 

The department responded and said they would not be able to do a formal sit-down interview on Thursday but did provide a similar statement than the one sent on Wednesday.

Thursday's statement from DPW: 

"During the recent water disruption linked to the Colgate Pumping Station, DPW mobilized its staff to investigate the issue. Since the issue could not be corrected immediately, DPW redirected water from neighboring portions of the distribution system to prevent widespread water service disruptions. Redirecting water resulted in low pressure in isolated areas of the water distribution system."

DPW went on to write that there are multiple resources residents can use to get more information during water disruptions. Officials encourage residents to use the agency's website and social media channels and the City's 3-1-1 call center to obtain information. 

"The Department's Community Engagement Unit also serves as resources for community leaders and members," DPW wrote.