Ashburton Tanks Project

Community Outreach Update-WC 1211

December 1, 2021

To help preserve the high quality and safety of our drinking water system, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) has been converting our open-air drinking water lakes into buried tanks. We’ve completed projects in Towson and the Montebello II Filtration Plant, and are in construction on projects at the Guilford and Druid Lake reservoir. Our drinking water will be much safer and more secure with these underground tanks, and it will allow us to comply with federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulations.

The work in Hanlon Park will take at least four years to complete (Summer 2018 – Winter 2022), including land preparation (Summer 2018), tank construction (Spring 2019), and restoration (early 2022). Building the park will take about a year longer.

A playground and other parks and green spaces will be built over the tanks in the space north of the lake. The entire project is budgeted for about $137 million. Upon completion, Lake Ashburton will remain as a beautiful freshwater amenity, while 50 million gallons of drinking water is secured safely in two underground tanks, every 434 feet in diameter.

Due to the construction activity, public access to the park will be limited. Most of the entrances and exits for construction vehicles will be on Liberty Heights Avenue at Dukeland Street, keeping construction traffic out of the neighborhood. Funding for this project includes contributions from the State of Maryland and Baltimore County. The contractor, Oscar Renda, is required to remain in compliance with the State and City’s MWDBE hiring goals.

DPW will update this page to provide significant updates, and officials will be in contact with community association leaders and residents during the construction period. Questions may be directed to the Communications and Community Affairs Division.