Easton Utilities is responsible for the operation, management and maintenance of the electric, water, wastewater, natural gas, cable television and Internet utility services for the Town of Easton and portions of the surrounding area. In 1923, Easton became the first municipality in Maryland to own all of its utilities, an arrangement that is still unique today.

Electric
Electricity first came to Easton in 1887, but was not under town jurisdiction until 1915. The Electric Department now provides service to more than 10,000 customers in a 54 square-mile service territory. We are connected to the PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) power pool and use this venue to purchase our electricity on an hourly basis. Using 16 diesel and 2 combustion turbine generators, Easton Utilities generates electricity to offset costs during times of high-priced PJM energy. Easton’s installed electrical generation capacity is 70 megawatts, which is adequate to meet the Town’s service load during periods of normal demand.

Water
Established in 1914, the Water Department currently serves more than 6,500 customers through 93 miles of water mains and over 605 fire hydrants. The system is supplied by seven deep-water wells, the newest of which drops 1,200 feet and feeds directly into a state-of-the-art water treatment plant on Glebe Road. This well, capable of pumping over 900 gallons per minute, provides over half the drinking water in . The Water Department stores over 1 million gallons of water in four storage tanks located around town.

Wastewater
Construction began on Easton’s first sewage system in 1911. In operation by 1914, it was the first separate storm and sanitary sewer system in the State of Maryland. Currently, the Wastewater Department serves 6,400 customers through over 77 miles of sewer mains, six major pumping stations and an environmentally-friendly wastewater treatment facility.   The wastewater treatment facility, one of Maryland's most environmentally friendly, is anticipated to meet Easton's wastewater needs to 2030 while exceeding Chesapeake Bay water quality goals for reducing nitrogen and phosphorus. The process is designed to reduce effluent concentrations of nitrogen to 3 milligrams per liter (mg/l) and phosphorus to 0.3 mg/l-a decrease of 83 percent (182,000 pound) and 81 percent (16,000 pound) respectively. The new facility began operation in 2007.

Natural Gas
Acquired by the Town in 1923, Easton’s Gas Department is the only municipal gas utility in the state today. Easton’s gas was originally derived by burning coal at a plant on West Street but Easton Utilities converted to natural gas in 1966 and now purchases gas in the competitive marketplace. Gas is delivered to Easton via pipeline where it is distributed to over 4,500 customers through 38 miles of steel and plastic mains. The Gas Department distributes an average of 1,200,000 cubic feet of natural gas per day to the Easton residents living in its 8.5 square-mile service territory.

Digital Cable Television
In 1984, Easton Utilities created Easton Cable which currently operates seven satellite dishes, a broadcast reception tower and a local weather station. Easton Cable is one of the few municipally-owned cable systems in the United States, and its service policies and competitive rates reflect its local ownership. Over 6,000 Easton households now receive more than 200 channels, including basic cable, premium channel service, pay-per-view service, Easton’s own local access channel and digital music and programming. The system was fully upgraded and rebuilt into a hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) design in 2001, which took the system from a bandwidth of 450 Mhz to 860 Mhz and allowed Easton Cable to offer more programming and entertainment – as well as high-speed cable modems (now at speeds up to 5 MB) – to customers. Easton Cable offers analog, digital and high-definition TV services as well as digital video recorders.

High-Speed Internet
In 1998, the Cable & Communications Department launched EastonOnline, an Internet Service Provider featuring dial-up Internet access and tech support. After the HFC rebuild in 2001, Easton Cable was one of the first cable operators on the Eastern Shore to deploy high-speed cable modems. EastonOnline offers web site hosting and other services in addition to the high-speed Internet.

Cable TV Advertising
Easton Utilities brought local cable television advertising in house in January of 2000 after launching Easton Cable Advertising. Easton Cable Advertising has proven to be a successful tool for local and regional businesses to promote their messages via the Easton Cable system in a cost effective manner.

 

back to top