ELKRIDGE, Md. — A rupture at the Elkridge Pumping Station caused water outages and low pressure in Howard County on Sunday.
According to officials, a 36-inch drinking water main ruptured at the Elkridge Pumping Station.
Around 3:30 p.m., the Howard County Department of Public Works began receiving emails and social media complaints from people in the area saying they did not have water.
A 36” drinking water main coming from the Elkridge Pumping Station has ruptured. The pumping station itself is intact. Crews are working to repair the break.
— Howard County Gov't (@HoCoGov) August 20, 2023
The Howard County Department of Public Works Bureau of Utilities crews are working to repair the break.
The break caused water outages and low water pressure in Ellicott City, Elkridge, and Snowden Rover Parkway.
“The pressure zone is about 100 thousand residents. All but three residences should have water pressure by about midnight tonight, and then we have a contractor who will begin work tomorrow morning once the water main is completely dry, and it should take about two business days to complete the rest of the work,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said.
According to Ball, DPW redirected the flow of water into two large tanks in Scaggsville and Snowden.
This was done to preserve the water that was originally spilling out of the pipe and flooding the ground around the pumping station.
Officials do not know what caused the break, but Ball said residents do not need to boil water.
