January 20, 2021
Media Contact:
Scott Peterson, Director of Communications, Office of Public Information, 202-277-9412
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball commenced the bidding process for the H7 pond, a flood mitigation project that is part of the Ellicott City Safe & Sound plan. The H7 pond will be constructed within the northeast loop ramp of the interchange of US 29 (Columbia Pike) and US 40 (Baltimore National Pike) in Ellicott City. Construction for the project is expected to begin in the spring.
“Today is another great day of good news and progress for Ellicott City. Managing stormwater is a critical piece of our plan to mitigate dangerous flooding in Ellicott City. The construction of the H7 pond, along with the other initiatives and flood mitigation projects included in our holistic Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan, all work together to keep water off our streets,” said Ball. “By capturing stormwater runoff, we are making progress to support the resiliency and strength of 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 of time to reduce the peak discharge for extreme rainfall events. The H7 pond project will be partially funded through a State of Maryland Comprehensive Flood Management Grant. Interested bidders should refer to the Office of Purchasing’s webpage for further information.
“This is more good news for Ellicott City! I'm thrilled to see the progress on storm water retention projects,” said State Senator Katie Fry Hester. “Through our partnerships and advocacy, we can see all the hard work is paying off to make Ellicott City safe and sound.”
“We are full steam ahead for making historic Ellicott City safe from flooding,” said Maryland Delegate Courtney Watson. “This project will have a big impact on the town by retaining stormwater during severe weather, thereby reducing the amount of water in the stream channels and, potentially, on Main Street. I am proud of all the progress we have made and continue to make on moving the Safe and Sound plan forward.”
Last week, Ball announced Howard County was selected to apply for a loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) funding to finance the North Tunnel and other flood mitigation projects as part of the Ellicott City Safe & Sound plan. Howard County was selected from 67 letters of interest from private and public entities and is among 55 organizations that were selected to apply for WIFIA funding. The exact amount of funding will be determined through the application process, which must be submitted within a year.