Press Releases
Strengthening System Reliability and Delivering High-Quality Water for Customers
Bel Air, MD – MARCH 9, 2026 – Maryland American Water announced today its 2025 summary of investments for system improvements, totaling $3.8 million in water system upgrades throughout its service area.
“Delivering safe, clean and reliable water service requires consistent, proactive investment in our systems,” said Laura Runkle, President of Maryland American Water. “These investments are focused on strengthening reliability, modernizing aging infrastructure and minimizing service disruptions for our customers across the state. By continuing to invest in our systems today, we are helping deliver resilient, high-quality service for the communities we serve well into the future.”
Annual investments support critical upgrades throughout the company’s water and wastewater systems, including treatment plants, tanks, pump stations, pipelines, and metering equipment.
System improvement highlights for 2025 include:
- Bel Air: Invested $420,000 on a main replacement project on Robinson Street to upsize 700 feet of 6” pipe that had reached the end of its lifespan to 8” ductile iron pipe. This upgrade increases service reliability for household use and firefighting.
- Bel Air: Invested $322,000 on a main replacement project on Roland Ave to modernize 650 feet of 6” cast iron pipe that had reached the end of its lifespan to 8” ductile iron pipe. This upgrade improves service reliability and reduces the likelihood of main breaks.
- Bel Air: Invested $318,000 on upgrades to the water treatment plant to improve safety and reliability. This included upgrading the pits underneath the high-service pumps by waterproofing them. Ongoing chemical improvements include switching from gas chlorine to sodium hypochlorite to align with American Water safety standards, bolstering safety for our employees and customers.
- Severn: Invested $30,000 in upgrading to modern Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters to access real-time data to help detect excessive water use which could be the result of a leak. In addition, improvements were made to facilities in order to enhance safety.
- Severn: Invested $75,000 replacing ten hydrants to improve firefighting reliability.
Maryland American Water continues to make long-term investments in the communities it serves, modernizing aging infrastructure to strengthen service for residents. These proactive capital investments play a critical role in sustaining system reliability and helping to ensure high-quality water service.
Over the past ten years, Maryland American Water has directed more than $41.7 million toward infrastructure and capital improvements, updating aging systems and replacing or installing new water main.
To learn more about these investments and additional projects underway across Maryland, visit: www.amwater.com/mdaw/.
About American Water
American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s 7,000 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.
For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.
About Maryland American Water
Maryland American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, provides safe, clean, reliable and affordable water services to approximately 24,000 people. For more information, visit www.amwater.com/mdaw/ and join Maryland American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
Media Contact
Marybeth Leongini
External Affairs Manager
Virginia American Water
Marybeth.Leongini@amwater.com