U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Study Ellicott City Flooding

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will study Ellicott City for one year, then submit recommendations to determine the viability of flood-proofing the area, officials announced Thursday. The study was announced nearly two months after Main Street in the historic downtown was ravaged by a flash flood that killed two and left millions of dollars in damage.

“As we rebuild Main Street, it only makes sense to get experts such as the Army Corps of Engineers to propose solutions,” County Executive Allan Kittleman said in a statement. “The findings from these assessments will help us to make Ellicott City stronger than ever. I am committed to rebuilding the town in a way that makes it a model resilient community.”

In its study, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct building elevation surveys for the approximately 100 buildings in the 500-year floodplain in Ellicott City’s historic district, data that officials said would help gauge the flood risk on a building-by-building basis.

Engineers will also evaluate data from more than one dozen buildings between US 29 and the Patapsco River in an attempt to determine if flood-proofing would be possible.

Then engineers will recommend ways property owners can implement flood-proofing measures like applying sealant, installing closures on doors and windows, moving valuables higher up, raising utilities and waterproofing buildings, according to a statement from the county administration.

However, officials say that flood-proofing does not make a community immune to Mother Nature.

"It is important for the public to know that flood-proofing would not have prevented the damages sustained during the flood this summer," Stacey Underwood of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. "However, certain flood-proofing measures may reduce flood risk during less severe floods."

The study is expected to take one year, with collaboration among the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Geological Survey and other federal, state and local partners.

The Army Corps of Engineers will create a report that summarizes the findings, including building surveys and whether historic structures may be flood-proofed.

• FEMA Approves Ellicott City Disaster Declaration
• Ellicott City Flood Damage by the Numbers
• Police Identify 2 People Killed in Ellicott City Flood

Photo by Elizabeth Janney.