Towson residents are with low or no water after a fire broke out in the pumping station on Hillen Road in Towson early this morning.

**UPDATE AS OF 7:30 PM: WBAL is reporting that the pumping station has been repaired, and water is being pumped back into the system. It may still be hours before water is restored to all houses in the effected areas.**

As of 2:45 pm, BGE is reporting that it is taking longer than anticipated to restore power to the pumping station. Until power is restored, water cannot be restored to Towson residents.

BGE anticipates having the power restored by late this evening, but Baltimore City Department of Public Works is preparing Baltimore County residents to be without water overnight.

See the Baltimore County Government updates .

The site shows a timeline of the water problem in Towson. The area affected by this water outage is from Falls Rd on the west, Stevenson Lane to the south, Old Harford Rd to the east, and Sparks to the north. (Site quote is below):

Emergency Operations Updates

April 7, 2010 — Central Third of Baltimore County Likely Without Water Into Evening

2:45 p.m.: BGE Says Work At Pumping Station Will Take Longer Than Expected

BGE officials say it is taking longer than expected to restore power to the Hillen Road pumping station. They say they now expect to restore power by late this evening. The Baltimore City Department of Public Works, which owns and maintains the metropolitan water system, cannot begin to restore customers’ water until the pumping station has electrical power.

Residents in the affected areas should expect to be without water through tonight.

The Emergency Management public information hotline, 410-887-5454, remains open for those with non-emergency concerns. For questions about the repairs to the city’s water system, call the Baltimore City Department of Public Works’ hotline, 410-396-5352.

1:20 p.m.: Liberal Leave Instituted For County Employees

With the Towson area without water, the County has instituted its liberal leave policy for non-essential employees in the Towson complex.

11:45 a.m.: Timeline for Water Restoration Unchanged

At an 11 a.m. conference call, BGE reported that it still expects to restore power to the Hillen Road pumping station late this afternoon. Once power is restored, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works will be able to restore water — probably by this evening, they say. For questions about the repairs, call the Baltimore City Department of Public Works’ hotline, 410-396-5352.

11:30 a.m.: Additional Fire Resources Assigned to Affected Areas; High Rise Buildings Must Maintain “Fire Watch”

The Fire Department has taken steps to  supplement fire suppression needs in areas affected by the outage. Normally, four engines respond to calls for one-alarm fires, but during the outage fire officials will send six engines carrying a total of about 5,000 gallons of water.  Once commanders arrive on the scene and confirm an actual fire, they will immediately dispatch additional resources as needed. Fire officials remind residents that portions of Baltimore County — including much of the area affected by today’s outage — are not served by hydrants and that firefighters routinely fight fires in these places using water from engines, tankers and natural sources.

Also, all sprinklered buildings in the affected area are now under a mandatory “fire watch,” which means such buildings must have personnel physically monitoring each floor for any sign of fire. The Baltimore County Fire Prevention Code requires sprinkler systems in certain types of buildings. Under the code, when the sprinkler systems are out of service for more than four hours building managers must organize a fire watch until the sprinkler system is back in service. For more information, contact the EOC through its public inquiry hotline, 410-887-5454.

8:10 a.m.: Fire Suppression Coverage In Affected Areas

Fire officials have adjusted emergency responses to compensate for today’s water outage and assure residents that they have suffficient water in case of fire. Fire engines carry up to 1,000 gallons of water, and large-capacity tankers carry several thousand gallons. In addition, fire crews are trained to draw water from natural sources such as streams and ponds. Fire officials remind residents that portions of Baltimore County — including much of the area affected by today’s outage — are not served by hydrants and that firefighters routinely fight fires in these places using water from engines, tankers and natural sources.

8 a.m.: District, Circuit Courts, Clerk of the Court Closed

Baltimore County district and circuit courts and the Clerk of The Court’s office are closed today because of the water outage. The District Court Commissioner is open.

7:40 a.m.: Public Inquiry Telephone Line Now Open

Emergency Management officials have opened a telephone line for residents with questions and concerns about today’s water outage. The number is 410-887-5454.

For emergencies, call 911.

6:45 a.m.: Residents Asked to Conserve Water

Residents in the area affected by an electrical fire at the Hillen road pumping station — basically, the entire central third of the County, from Lake Avenue in Baltimore City north to Sparks, west to Falls Road and east to Old Harford Road — should conserve water this morning. The less water they use now, the longer it will last. Once water is depleted from the tanks, city public works officials say, it will not be possible to replenish it until BGE restores power to the pumping station.

6 a.m.: Tens of Thousands of Customers Without Water

An early morning  fire in the electrical lines that feed the pumping station on Hillen Road near Towson Reservoir will affect water  to at least 150,000 to 200,000 residents in central Baltimore County.

The boundaries of the affected area are: Stevenson Lane on the south; Sparks to the north; Falls Road to the west; and Old Harford Road to the east. Customers in this area should expect to be without water for at least through the evening rush hour and possibly into the evening. The impact on the water system is expected to increase after the morning rush hour, as the remaining water in the tanks is depleted.

BGE must restore electrical power to the pumping station before water can be restored. BGE officials say that likely will take until late this afternoon. After electricity is restored, Baltimore City’s Department of Public Works — which owns and maintains the metropolitan water system — advises that once this happens all residents should have water restored within a matter of hours.

Baltimore County offices are opening as usual and will remain open for as long as possible. For information on Baltimore County public school closings, visit the BCPS web site.

The County’s Office of Emergency Management has activated its Emergency Operations Center in order to coordinate the County’s response to this emergency. Emergency Management officials are working with hospitals and other critical infrastructure to provide information so they can effectively execute their emergency plans.