Last November, Baltimore City became the first city in the U.S. to ban the privatization of its water system through a charter amendment. City residents voted in favor of permanently keeping the city’s water system under public control because they believed that a private company’s takeover would increase water rates. But ironically, this January, the city announced its plans to increase water rates by 10 percent.

According to Roger Colton, renowned utility affordability expert, Baltimore’s City’s water crisis is only going to get worse: the average yearly water bill for its residents is expected to rise to $1,115 by 2022, more than triple the average bill of $350 in 2010. 

Baltimore’s water and sewer system is managed by the Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW) which provides drinking water to 1.8 million people in the region. In recent years, the DPW has been criticized for rapidly rising water rates, which can be largely attributed to years of deferred maintenance and mismanagement by the department. The city’s ban on water privatization has left it without the option of having a private company take over the water system to drive investments and fix the crumbling infrastructures. 

As an alternative to privatizing the region’s water system, however, the Baltimore County Council is considering a resolution that would support the creation of an independent regional authority to handle Baltimore region’s water and sewer system.

Resolution No. 82-19 cites “staggering cost of maintaining, operating, rehabilitating,” the ageing infrastructure, and “water main breaks over the last several years,” as reasons why the partnership between federal, state, and local government is necessary to better serve the region’s water system. A co-sponsor of the resolution, Councilman Wade Kach remarked, “There are so many problems with [the DPW], and I just think we need to scrap the current system.” 

The regional water authority would be responsible for independently identifying the shortfalls of the region’s water and sewage system and planning ways to finance the needed improvements. Creating an independent regional water authority is a step in the right direction — in other U.S. regions, they have led to improved financial planning and accountability. 

In 2016, the Great Lakes Water Authority began operating as an independent water authority for the Detroit region, separate from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department. Years later, analysts laud its success and agree that the authority has helped ensure “planning, financial and operational oversight that had been lacking for decades.” Others also point out how the authority has helped improve communication between counties and end “decades of regional infighting over the issue of water service.” 

Meanwhile, some critics like the Food and Water Watch claim that these regional authorities lead to “corporatization” of the water system by treating “water provision as a business instead of a public service.” But the Food and Water Watch’s criticisms precisely underline the reasons why a separate regional water authority can help Baltimore overcome its water crisis.  

Like a private water company, an independent water authority would specialize in the maintenance and improvement of water and sewer systems, unlike the DPW which deals with myriad of issues. The authority would also be responsible for its own financial planning and be obligated to publish its findings to the public, which would increase transparency and accountability. Finally, the authority would have more power to make independent management decisions, less unhindered by political battles and drawn out bureaucratic processes.

That said, creating an independent water authority, just like privatizing a water system, is not an all-curing magic panacea for Baltimore’s water problems. Although there are reasons to believe that it would lead to greater oversight, an independent authority would not be immune to corruption and mismanagement. A carefully designed government structure and rules requiring frequent financial disclosures will be imperative to the success of the new authority.

An independent water authority is not a new idea for Maryland. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has already demonstrated success in serving Montgomery County and Prince George’s county. Therefore, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission can serve as a model for the Baltimore region to finally put an end to the region’s water crisis.