FY 23 Approved Budget Book

PUBLIC WORKS - DIVISION OF WATER & SEWER

ORIGIN/PURPOSE:

The Public Works Division of Water and Sewer is mainly funded by user charges, connection charges, interest on investments and licenses and permits. When possible grants are utilized to extend Water & Sewer service and to support special projects such as energy preparedness, response enhanced treatment and public main extension. This Division is responsible for the operation, maintenance, administration, planning, and engineering of public water and sewer facilities to service over 100,000 people in Harford County that reside outside the three incorporated towns. The Division is grouped into six functional areas: BUREAU OF WATER & SEWER ADMINISTRATION is responsible for the overall direction and administration of all water and sewer activities including grant programs, Public Works Utility Agreements, Assessments, Intragovernmental Water & Sewer Purchase Agreements, Building Permits, Master Plan revisions, Capital Projects, Petitions, Budget, and Personnel Management. BUREAU OF WATER & SEWER ENGINEERING handles contract administration; Adequate Public Facilities requirements; existing utility line locations; quality control on construction of water and sewer capital projects and private developer projects; assists in house utility assessments and improvements to existing infrastructure. Responsibilities also include technical review of all developer projects to assure compliance with Harford County's Standard Specifications and Design Guidelines. BUREAU OF WATER & SEWER MAINTENANCE operates and maintains the water distribution system and sewer collection system on a 24 hour, 7 day a week basis. They provide extensive customer service through the Water Meter Section, Maintenance Section, and the Customer Relations Section by responding to customer service requests or problems within 20 minutes for both normal and emergency service. The Maintenance Section is also responsible for system locations for the One Call (Miss Utility) System. BUREAU OF WATER & SEWER OPERATIONS : WASTEWATER PROCESSING is responsible for the treatment of domestic wastewater originating from more than 43,000 customer accounts of the County's sewer system; operating three County-owned treatment plants; operating 53 wastewater pumping stations which move wastewater from the communities to the Wastewater Treatment Plants' and operating and maintaining over 300 individual home sewage collection/pumping systems collectively. The County's main wastewater facility, Sod Run, is a regional type facility treating County septage, leachate, and other plant residuals in addition to the wastewater delivered from the collection system. It is a State and Federally acclaimed wastewater treatment system subject of awards and publications. WATER PRODUCTION provides safe and potable water to over 43,000 customers on the County's water system; utilizes three County-owned treatment plants, 12 booster stations, 12 water towers to process and deliver water, and purchases water from the City of Havre de Grace. This section is able to monitor and direct water throughout the system's four pressure zones via radio telemetry. DEPRECIATION is an account to track depreciation expense.

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