BALTIMORE — Flood protection measures were activated in Old Ellicott City as storms dumped inches of rain throughout Maryland on Sunday evening.
A Flash Flood Warning was issued around 10 p.m. for the flood-prone area, prompting police to shut down Main Street.
County Executive Calvin Ball said the Historic Ellicott City Outdoor Tone Alert System was activated around 9:48 p.m. and again at 10 p.m. The alert warned residents of the flood warning and urged them to seek higher ground.
The storm brought about three inches of rain in a short time, causing some flooding in the West End of Historic Ellicott City, but there was no apparent flooding to any of the businesses.
“While we remain vigilant, these storm events underscore the importance of our ongoing impactful investments in flood mitigation and prevention,” Ball said. “While we still have much to do, we continue to make tangible and visible progress for our community.”
In 2016, rising floodwaters rushed through the historic city, a torrent in Main Street that carried away entire cars with drivers still inside, wiped out parts of roads and sidewalks, crippled homes and businesses, and had first responders working late into the night as they rushed from call to call, officials told reporters.
In 2018 in Old Ellicott City, which sits in a gully, eight inches of rain in a few hours turned the street into a raging river. In some cases, water reached as high as the second floor of some buildings, stranding many seeking higher ground. More than 70 businesses were damaged.
Flood mitigation measures
Ball first announced the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan in December 2018, a comprehensive plan to mitigate the effects of flash flooding in Historic Ellicott City with retention ponds.
The four focus areas of the plan include ensuring public safety, supporting business and property owners, maintaining Ellicott City’s historic charm, and developing a more inclusive, community-driven process.
In 2022, a new retention pond opened upstream in a section near Baltimore National Pike and Route 29. Engineers say it’s designed to trap about 4 million gallons of water. In 2023, another pond called Quaker Mill opened.
Howard County leaders recently broke ground on the North Tunnel project, which is one of the seven projects that are part of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan.
Once completed, it’ll be able to collect and carry around 26,000 gallons of stormwater per second. The 18-foot diameter, one-mile-long tunnel will span from the west end of the city right into the Patapsco River.
A tunnel boring machine, which has been named Rocky, will be the primary tool to create the tunnel, carving through the granite throughout the area’s topography.
North Tunnel construction is aimed to be completed by Fall 2027.
