Maryland family rations baths, delays laundry as water bills soar beyond what residents can pay

For one family in Western Maryland, higher water costs are reshaping ordinary routines, from baths to loads of laundry.

In a place where some households have deep roots, paying for water service is becoming harder to manage.

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According to The Banner, Jared and Liz Morgan are raising their family on the Western Maryland property where Jared spent his childhood. The outlet said the family keeps hens for eggs, cattle for slaughter, and a few donkeys as they work to preserve a way of life tied to their land.

As water and sewer charges in their community climbed, The Banner reported, the Morgans began cutting back on household water use. Their children bathe less often, Jared mostly showers at work, and Liz Morgan — who tends the farm and works in the pharmacy at a Cumberland hospital — showers once every seven days, according to the report.

The Banner reported the Morgans are not alone. According to the outlet, other residents have faced similar issues, with some postponing laundry and reducing day-to-day water use because the bills have risen beyond what many households can comfortably afford.

Despite the cutbacks in usage, The Banner reported the Morgans have faced as much as $300 a month for water. 

The outlet reported that although some residents have seen as high as $1,000 monthly charges for water, the charges are legal, as the communities of Bel Air and Pinto get their water from a privately owned utility. The rates assigned by the utility, which have doubled since four years ago, were approved by state regulators, The Banner reported. 

Although the previous owner of the Bel Air water system, Nexus Water Group, told The Banner that factors beyond the utility's control were responsible for the sharp increases in water rates, local families are still feeling the financial strain.

Despite local officials pledging to devote resources to find solutions to the region's water prices, more people are already uprooting their lives to escape the costs of monthly water charges. 

Betty Shircliff, a resident in Pinto, told The Banner she took two jobs to cover rising water bills in her trailer park. In addition she used bottled water, showered at her parents' home, and used a laundromat. 

Despite the drastic rationing efforts, it was not enough. The Banner reported Shircliff and her family moved out after 20 years. 

The last bill they received was more than $1,000 for their water. 

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