Local drinking and sewage infrastructure serves a sprawling region spanning parts of five Baltimore-area jurisdictions, but the system is owned and operated exclusively by the city — a decades-old arrangement that has proven both a blessing and a curse.

For years, officials in Baltimore City and Baltimore County have debated the possibility of establishing a regional authority tasked with overseeing the water system that serves some 1.8 million people — roughly triple the city’s population. A committee of city, county and state officials was tasked in 2023 with coming up with a new management structure, but ultimately only suggested further study.

Now a new task force is set to take another stab at the consequential question. The 13-member panel is scheduled to hold its first meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Baltimore City Council Chambers. The discussions will be streamed on CharmTV.

“The future of Baltimore’s water system affects so much of the metropolitan area, it’s important that we employ a regional approach when tackling this issue,” Comptroller Bill Henry said last week in a news release announcing the new committee. “Having chaired the previous regional water taskforce, I know how much progress has been made and I also know how much work still needs to be done.”

Henry returns as chair of the task force, while other committee members include a state environmental regulator, union leadership, private-sector wastewater representatives, as well as city and county public works officials.

Under the existing structure, the city is responsible for managing and maintaining the regional system, while ratepayers in surrounding counties help pay for it.

But Baltimore’s population has declined for decades even as surrounding Baltimore County has seen an influx, surpassing the city’s population. At the same time, the system’s infrastructure has degraded over generations, contributing to high-profile failures and a state takeover at the city’s largest wastewater treatment plant in 2022.

The region’s leaders largely agree that the existing system needs change, but reorganizing its oversight is easier said than done. A key sticking point in the last round of discussion was the city’s commitment to holding on to ownership of what it sees as valuable assets in its treatment plants, reservoirs and thousands of miles of water mains and sewage pipes.

Both Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier stressed collaboration across political borders in statements ahead of Wednesday night’s meeting.

“This work group will help to tackle one of the most significant regional issues we face — one that directly impacts the day to day lives of our residents,” Scott said in the news release. “I’m grateful to all of the leaders who will be part of this process. The future of our water system is in great hands, and I look forward to seeing the recommendations they propose.”

“The Baltimore region deserves modern, efficient, and equitable water and wastewater systems that reflect our region’s incredible growth and I am confident that this talented team will present innovative solutions to meet the needs of our communities and residents,” Klausmeier added.

The task force members include:

• Del. Dana Stein, environment subcommittee chair in the House of Delegates’ Environment and Transportation Committee
• Antoinette Ryan Johnson, president of City Union of Baltimore
• Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME Council 3
• Kishia L. Powell, general manager and CEO of Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) Water
• Kelly Baxter, water/wastewater treatment practice leader at Mott MacDonald
• Matthew Garbark, director of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works
• Matthew Carpenter, deputy director of the Baltimore County Office of Budget & Finance
• Michael Swygert, chief of metropolitan district financing and petitions for the Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation
• Sen. Mary Washington
• Karen Henry, director of the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works
• Adam Ortiz, deputy secretary for the Maryland Department of the Environment
• Karen Dettmer, director of water resources US for Ramboll

Under state legislation passed last year, the new task force has until June 30, 2027, to issue recommendations for future oversight of the water system.

An earlier version of this story included an outdated description of Del. Dana Stein's position on a General Assembly committee. He is the environment subcommittee chair in the House of Delegates’ Environment and Transportation Committee.