Flood Prevention Plan For Ellicott City To Be Discussed July 20

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A public meeting presenting plans for the construction of a flood mitigation facility, or pond, that's part of Howard County's Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan will be held July 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Columbia/Ellicott City Room of the George Howard Building at 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City.

"The H4 pond is an important component of our transformational Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan to manage storm water in the upper parts of the watershed. The construction of this pond, along with the other initiatives and flood mitigation projects, work together to keep water off our streets, save lives and protect homes and businesses. Moreover, this 15.6-acre-foot retention pond takes nearly 40 potential units out of the development pipeline in the Ellicott City watershed," Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said.

DPW’s Bureau of Environmental Services’ Stormwater Management Division plans to construct the pond on county property located at 8960-9000 Frederick Road in Ellicott City. The objective of the new pond is to help mitigate flooding in Historic Ellicott City by capturing stormwater runoff from the upper parts of the Hudson Branch Watershed and then detaining the stormwater for longer periods to reduce the peak discharge for extreme rainfall events. Construction is expected to begin by August 2023.

This informal meeting will include a brief overview of the project and draft construction plans will be available for viewing. County staff and the project’s design consultant team, Biohabitats/Century Engineering, will be on hand to answer any questions.