Ellicott City Watershed Masterplan
Ellicott City is situated in a valley that funnels water down Main Street and is along a river that floods. This reality has been a fact of life since Ellicott City was founded. Patapsco River flooding has not been the problem recently. The runoff from the surrounding hills being funneled down Main Street has been the source of the recent devastating floods in Ellicott City. The development on the surrounding hills channeling more rain water and climate change seems to make this flooding something that will occur more frequently in the future. To address this issue the County has launched a process to mitigate the problem. That is the good news. The bad news is that 6 inches of rain in short amount of time will probably cause major flooding even with the proposed changes. Here is the information on the Master Plan.
"Howard County launched its master plan process for Ellicott City and its watershed on May 31st. The master plan process will help define a comprehensive community-driven vision for rebuilding a stronger and more resilient Ellicott City. The master plan will take a fresh and creative look at potential long term flood solutions and strategies.
It will also incorporate a watershed plan in a way that many traditional master plans do not. Ellicott City’s unique topography, hydrology, road network, and mill town heritage will require a tailored, well-planned roadmap for long-term rebuilding. A Hydrologic and Hydraulic Study (the "H&H Study") was recently completed for the Ellicott City watershed. The H&H Study is an unprecedented, comprehensive analysis of the Tiber-Hudson watershed. The analysis models how certain water retention controls and channel enhancements will reduce the amount of flooding on Main Street in various storm conditions. The results of the hydrologic and hydraulic study will be used as a touchstone throughout the master plan process and help guide decisions, set planning parameters, and test choices."
#hocoblogs
1 comment:
I just did a close look of the topographical map and it is incorrect. It shows the Tiber and Hundson branches conjoining,then running, NORTH of Main Street, as well as entering the Patpasco UPSTREAM of Main.
Thank you.
Post a Comment