# City Council Hearing: Public Health & Environment Committee; October 28, 2026

Baltimore City Council Public Health and Environment Committee hearing, October 28, 2026, focused on sewage-backup assistance programs. The Department of Public Works (DPW) announced that its Sewage On-Site Support (SOS) program will cover qualifying dry-weather backups on the city’s side of the sewer lateral, in addition to wet-weather events. DPW sends a contractor to clean and sanitize eligible properties at no cost, without the $5,000 cap that applies to the separate expedited reimbursement program. That reimbursement program has restrictive eligibility rules, including a rainfall threshold; DPW reported 47 requests and one approval in FY2026, and 11 requests with none eligible so far in FY2027. Since expanding the SOS program in July, DPW has spent about $58,000, averaging roughly $3,900 per property. The department said the expanded work is currently within a $2 million allocation, but it is treating the program as a pilot while it gathers cost and participation data. No contract award or procurement vote was identified.

Residents and advocates urged broader outreach, adequate and sustained funding, faster assistance, and making the program permanent. Council members asked DPW to provide quarterly data on backup locations and trends, improve follow-up and access to program information—including language accessibility—and clarify responsibility for sewer laterals. DPW agreed to share outreach materials and data, and to assess the feasibility of sewer-backup prevention valves for residents experiencing repeated backups. The department also said it would explore ways to improve resident contact and formalize response procedures, including for weekend incidents.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Environment
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** October 28, 2026

### Sources
- [City Council Hearing: Public Health & Environment Committee; October 28, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJK8-CojG0) - CharmTV Citizens' Hub