Officials, Community Applaud Flood Mitigation Pond Opening As Part Of Safe And Sound Plan

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — On Monday, leaders cut the ribbon on the Quaker Mill Flood Mitigation Pond, an important component of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound project. The pond will provide nearly 3.3 million gallons of water, which would fill a football field with nearly 7.5 feet of water. The Quaker Mill Pond is the second retention pond to be completed as part of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan.

"The completion of this pond marks another giant leap forward in our efforts to implement the transformational Ellicott City Safe and Sound flood mitigation plan. The Quaker Mill Pond is our second major retention project to mitigate flooding. It will reduce peak flow rates from the site for the 100-year storm by approximately 30 percent. I’m deeply appreciative for all our local, state and federal partners who continue to help us make significant progress on the safety of Ellicott City. We continue to move with urgency, cooperation and resolve, to ensure that Ellicott City’s best days are ahead," Howard County Executive Calvin Ball stated during the ribbon cutting.

Of the $2.8 million in project costs, $2.1 million in state funding was provided to support the project through the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Comprehensive Flood Mitigation Grant Program. The State Board of Public Works unanimously approved the MDE grant to support this project.

"It was my honor to celebrate the completion of the Quaker Mill Dry Flood Mitigation Pond. This project is an incredible example of our commitment across all levels of government, to help our most vulnerable communities become more sustainable and resilient to a changing environment," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.

In October, Ball cut the ribbon on the first Safe and Sound project, the H-7 Dry Flood Mitigation Pond. The pond, constructed on state land in a clover-leaf interchange at the intersection of Route 29 and Route 40/Baltimore National Pike in Ellicott City, can hold enough runoff to cover a football field to the height of 10 feet. It has the capacity to hold 4.24 million gallons of water, restricting its flow into the Tiber River watershed and away from Historic Ellicott City.

“As a small business owner on Main Street, the completion of the Quaker Mill Flood Mitigation Pond represents an important milestone towards the progress of the overall Safe and Sound plan to come to fruition in Old Ellicott City,” said Maria Martinez, an Ellicott City small business owner and president of the Ellicott City Partnership. “We recognize Dr. Ball’s commitment to push though and fulfill the objective of the plan for a safe and sound Historic Ellicott City to stabilize and thrive.”

Various safety measures have been implemented through the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan, including:

• The installation of high ground signage throughout Main Street;
• The completion of an outdoor tone alert system; and
• The establishment of a stream debris cleaning program to remove debris from waterways in and around Ellicott City, which has resulted in the productive removal of over 31 tons of debris since implementation.