How our Public Works… well, works! (And how the new Our wAAter program can help us all restore and preserve the quality of our beloved Chesapeake Bay)

When you hear “public works,” you may not fully know what it refers to. We know it’s a tricky concept that is often associated with roadway and construction projects. While that is a part of what we do, there is so much more to the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works (DPW).

Just like an onion, DPW has several layers that make up who we are.

Layer 1: The Engineering Bureau. This Bureau is responsible for the design, support and oversight of construction projects within the County's Capital Improvement Program. Without this bureau, we would not have been able to design our LEED-certified Utilities Complex in Millersville to meet green building and energy efficiency best practices or effectively complete other innovative projects throughout the County.

Layer 2: Utilities Operations Bureau. This award-winning bureau makes sure that you receive safe drinking water, and also collects and treats wastewater to safe levels prior to release to the Bay. To put that in perspective, 13 billion gallons of public water is delivered to over 110,000 homes and businesses per year and 12 billion gallons of wastewater is treated per year. That’s a big job, which is why we are particularly proud of the national recognition we have received for both our drinking water and wastewater facilities.

Layer 3: Bureau of Highways. This may be the area that you are most familiar with as this bureau is responsible for all maintenance activities associated with the County’s 6,715 roads totaling nearly 4,000 lane miles. So next time you’re driving, rest assured we are doing everything we can to keep the roads safe and maintained.

Layer 4: Bureau of Waste Management. This bureau does more than collect solid waste, recycled material and yard waste; it also provides energy. How is that possible? Our only active landfill, the Millersville Landfill & Resource Recovery Facility is the perfect example. Instead of burning off gases emitted from buried organic material de-composing, we are converting that gas to electricity selling it back to the electric grid and reducing costs of operation.

Layer 5: Bureau of Watershed and Protection. This bureau is responsible for the environmental assessment, restoration implementation, and ecological evaluation work associated with the County's clean water guidelines under its Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit and the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load.

Your DPW is always future-minded, and will soon be embarking on another initiative (called Our wAAter), to protect, restore, and preserve our waterways.

Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus – from the fertilizer we use on lawns, gardens, and farms and from wastewater, septic systems, and stormwater runoff – hurt the Chesapeake Bay. Poor water quality in the Bay directly impacts public health by exposing our residents to harmful bacteria. It also causes an excess of algal blooms that create “dead zones,” areas depleted of oxygen, where aquatic life is unable to live.

The Chesapeake Bay and the creeks, rivers, and streams that surround it are on a journey to recovery, but we must continue to reduce the pollution that impairs our water quality.

Our wAAter is led by the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works (DPW) based on parameters mandated by the Maryland Department of Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency. The program will pursue long-term strategies to reduce pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay.

It is our goal to meet water quality guidelines established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) by using an integrated and unified approach with five initiatives:

• Septic-to-Sewer Connections: Convert eligible communities from septic systems to publicly-owned water reclamation facilities operating at advanced levels of treatment.
• Wastewater Treatment Enhancements: Operate advanced regional water reclamation facilities at optimal performance levels to maximize pollution reduction beyond regulatory requirements.
• Small System Upgrades: Upgrade the performance of privately-owned small wastewater treatment systems where possible.
• Stormwater Improvements: Restore streams and wetlands and improve stormwater infrastructure.
• Groundwater Resiliency: Provide an uninterrupted supply of clean, safe water.

It is our job is to restore the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay and protect our long-term drinking water supplies. Our wAAter is how we get there.