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Maryland / Sewer operators /

Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system)

Sewer utility · Maryland · Columbia, Savage, Ellicott City, Elkridge

Map sources: water outlines and launches from OpenBoatLaunch and OpenStreetMap contributors (Open Database License); wastewater outlets from EPA and state records; downstream estimates by DirtyWaterWatch using U.S. Geological Survey maps and flow data. Base map: OpenFreeMap and OpenMapTiles.

No outlet locations are in our records for this operator. Square boat markers mark boat launches listed by OpenBoatLaunch.

Federal wastewater discharge permit (NPDES)
MD0055174
Wastewater outlets
None with locations in our records
Waters listed as receiving wastewater
Little Patuxent River; Deep Run; Patapsco River
Tracked waters
Patuxent River, MD, Patapsco River, MD, Little Patuxent River, MD, Rockburn Branch, MD, Hammond Branch, MD, Stony Creek, MD, Magothy River, MD
Discharge records counted
78 records · latest
Total reported volume in these records
1,476,604 gallons across the 78 records that give a volume

These totals reflect the records we track. Missing volumes and gaps in reporting limit comparisons between operators.

Sources: EPA ECHO and the operator and state sources linked below. Counts use the discharge records on this page. Updated 2026-11-03 08:50 UTC.

Public notices and alerts

Pages where Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system) or the state publishes its notices (check them for an alert sign-up):

Source: Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system)'s public notice and alert pages and the state's notification records.

Report a missing notice or error

Wastewater outlets

Outfall: a pipe or outlet where wastewater enters a water body.

Reports and advisories

Sanitary sewer overflow (SSO): sewage spills from a sewer meant to carry sewage separately from rainwater.

Reports linked to Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system), newest first
WhenReportStatus
to 2:00 PMLittle Patuxent River · River Road · SSO · 33,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 10:30 AM“Retaining pond at intersection which goes into Deep Run.” · 7272 Park Circle Drive · SSO · 2,000 gallons report · noticeended
to 3:20 PMPatapsco River · 3470 North Chatham Rd · SSO · 450 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 3:45 AMRockburn Branch · 5780 old landing · SSO · 1,200 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 2:15 PM“Released into grassy area, then went into stream that goes into stormwater pond. No water was in the pond, it's absorbed into the ground.” · 10669 High Beam Court · SSO · 159 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 3:30 PM“Grassy area.” · behind 5320 Dorsey Hall Road · SSO · 500 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 11:00 AM“Little Patuxent River.” · 9738 Basket Ring Road · SSO · 1,800 gallons in all mapended
to 3:15 PM“UT to Little Patuxent River flowing into Elkhorn Lake, Use Class IV-P” · 9355 Wheatsheaf Way · SSO · 375 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 2:00 PM“Tributary of Patuxent River” · 5074 Bonnie Branch Road · SSO · 750 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 5:40 AM“driveway” · 1800 Greenwood Place · SSO · 1,000 gallons report · noticeended
to 2:30 PMHammond Branch · 10036 Rolling River Run · SSO · 200 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 10:00 AM“The overflow never reached a surface body of water, it ponded around the tank area.” · 14091 Patterson Farm Road · SSO · 40 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 11:30 PM“Nearby storm drain.” · 5480 Gloucester Road · SSO · 80 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 4:00 PMLittle Patuxent River · 11238 Pear Tree Way · SSO · 500 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 1:15 PM“grassy area” · behind 5496 Ring Dove Lane · SSO · 250 gallons report · noticeended
to 7:10 PMLittle Patuxent River · 6310 Hillside Court · SSO · 100 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 6:00 PMStony Creek · 15599 Dorchester Way · SSO · 75,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Oct 5 ’25, 5:00 PM“storm drain” · 15599 Dorchester Way · SSO · 70,000 gallons report · noticeended
to 12:00 PM“None.” · 14800 Carrs Mill Road · SSO · 450 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 6:15 PM“Grassy area” · 10000 Clarksville Pike · SSO · 100 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 3:00 PMPatuxent River · 7625 Murray Hill Rd · SSO · 250 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 1:00 PM“None.” · 5005 Lake Circle West · SSO · 100 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 10:45 AM“Starts off from manhole in grassy, wooded area-then leads to a tributary to Sucker Branch.” · 8726 Town & Country Blvd · SSO · 200 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 1:15 PM“Tributary of Little Patuxent River” · 6570 Dobbin Road · SSO · 550 gallons report · notice · mapended

Sources: MDE Reported Sewer Overflows (New for 2023), Maryland Open Data Portal (Socrata stgj-u72u), retrieved 2026-11-03 08:17 UTC. A report's record id and times show when you hover or focus its "report" link.

Download these reports as CSV

Showing the latest 25 records of 80 records.See them all with filters.

All reports in Maryland by year: 2026 (14 from Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system)) · 2025 (21 from Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system)) · 2024 (27 from Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system)) · 2023 (18 from Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system))

Other sewer operators on these waters

The last 90 days

Last 90 days, hour by hour. Red: discharge or advisory reported. Amber: caution. Hatched amber: end not confirmed. Grey: no current status on the water outline. Purple hatching: source update overdue.
  • Caution: to
    1 report: Little Patuxent River 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    1 report: Little Patuxent River 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Caution: to
    1 report: Patapsco River 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    1 report: Patapsco River 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Caution: to
    1 report: Rockburn Branch 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    1 report: Rockburn Branch 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

Source: DirtyWaterWatch calculations using the reports named above and the published status rules. Updated 2026-11-03 08:50 UTC.

Reported discharges over time

  • Discharges reported by Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system), last 12 months17December 2025 to November 2026Verified reports where available, else notices; revisions and duplicates counted once.
  • Days with a discharge reported by Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system), last 12 months16December 2025 to November 2026A day counts once however many discharges were under way on it. Verified reports where available, else notices; revisions and duplicates counted once.
  • Hours with a discharge or advisory status from Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system)'s reports, last 12 months44December 2025 to November 2026Red hours by the map's rules: each discharge to its reported end plus the state's post-discharge period; overlapping hours count once.
  • 2026 season with a discharge or advisory status (Howard County Department of Public Works (Little Patuxent WRP and collection system))0.3%May to October 2026Share of May 1 to October 31 hours with red status by the map's rules, of the hours a source covered.

Combined sewer overflow (CSO): sewage mixed with rainwater spills from a shared sewer system. Sanitary sewer overflow (SSO): sewage spills from a sewer meant to carry sewage separately from rainwater. Treatment bypass: wastewater skips one or more treatment steps. Blended discharge: wastewater that skipped some treatment is mixed with treated wastewater. Outfall: a pipe or outlet where wastewater enters a water body.

Reported discharges per month

78 reported discharges, January 2022 to November 2026.

  • Combined sewer overflow
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
  • Treatment bypass, blended or other
  • No tracked source for this period
  • Incomplete source coverage
No tracked source

No tracked source covers January 2022 to December 2022.

Source: md-mde-overflows. Records cover January 4, 2023 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per month

Hours when a water had a discharge or advisory status from this sewer operator's reports, under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • No tracked source for this period
  • Incomplete source coverage
No tracked source

No tracked source covers January 2022 to December 2022. Official beach and cyanobacteria (harmful blue-green algae) advisories are counted on water pages only.

Source: md-mde-overflows. Records cover January 4, 2023 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Days with a reported discharge per month

A day counts when any counted discharge was under way on it, from its start to its reported end in Eastern Time; a report with no end counts its start day.

  • No tracked source for this period
  • Incomplete source coverage
No tracked source

No tracked source covers January 2022 to December 2022.

Source: md-mde-overflows. Records cover January 4, 2023 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Reported volume per year

Gallons (axis: K thousand, M million), summed from the 78 reports that gave a volume as a number.

  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

Source: md-mde-overflows. Records cover January 4, 2023 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per year

Hours with a discharge or advisory status each year under DirtyWaterWatch rules; 2026 to date.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

Official beach and cyanobacteria (harmful blue-green algae) advisories are counted on water pages only.

Source: md-mde-overflows. Records cover January 4, 2023 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Share of the May to October season with a discharge or advisory status

Share of the hours from May 1 to October 31 with a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported

Official beach and cyanobacteria (harmful blue-green algae) advisories are counted on water pages only.

Source: md-mde-overflows. Records cover January 4, 2023 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by calendar month, all years

Every counted discharge report, by the calendar month it began.

Months are summed over every year a tracked source covers; the table gives the number of years behind each month.

Source: md-mde-overflows. Records cover January 4, 2023 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by wastewater outlet

Wastewater outlets with the most tracked discharge records: 10 of 69, all years. Counts depend on reporting coverage and do not measure legal compliance or harm.

Source: md-mde-overflows. Records cover January 4, 2023 to November 3, 2026.

Show table
How these charts are counted

We count each discharge once. Where a source publishes notices and confirmed reports, we use confirmed reports for an operator's month when available; otherwise we use notices. We combine revisions and exclude duplicate state reports copied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Monthly and yearly totals appear separately. Status hours follow this site's rules. Shaded gaps mean missing coverage, not zero discharges.

  • md-mde-overflows: records from January 4, 2023 to the latest update