Under fire from ‘disgusted’ council, Baltimore public works officials concede missteps in E. coli water response

Public works and city officials admitted missteps Thursday in their response to the recent E. coli scare in West Baltimore, acknowledging room for improvement in their emergency approach and communication to residents. The discussion came during a marathon hearing before the City Council’s Rules and Legislative Oversight Committee, in which members interrogated leadership in the city’s Department of Public Works over their Labor Day weekend response to bacteria discovered in the water system that feeds West Baltimore. Elected officials and residents have criticized the city’s communication of a wide-ranging boil-water advisory as both delayed and confusing.