Ellicott City Flood and Recovery
On July 30, 2016, a hundred-year storm hit Howard County. Although the devastating effects of the flood were concentrated in Historic Ellicott City, the city’s failure to adequately manage stormwater had and will continue to have negative impacts that extend far beyond the municipality. Throughout all of Howard County, the 2016 flood caused a $67.2 million reduction in economic activity, the loss of 151 jobs, labor income reductions of $27.2 million, and county government revenue losses estimated to be as great as $1.3 million.
To prevent future flooding events like that of July 2016, Howard County developed the Ellicott City Master Plan, which will address many issues with stormwater management within the city. However, this plan fails to address needed limitations on upstream development. Developers have continued to propose development plans even though further development of the rural and sensitive western county will only worsen current flooding issues by increasing the amount of impermeable surfaces contributing to runoff.
On top of this, funding for stormwater management in the county has been decreasing since 2014. The 2016 flood is proof that stormwater management is vitally important to the future of Howard County and that it must be made a priority in coming years, both in the budget and in policy.
Get involved! If you are from the Ellicott City area or want to get involved with their stormwater management programs, join the water team in pushing the county council to take a strong, decisive approach to managing the county’s stormwater to prevent future floods. We currently would love your help with:
- Boosting attendance at master plan workshops! Come out and voice your opinions to the planning team and be a voice for effective stormwater management. Email Zack.Gerdes@mdsierra.org for more information and to get involved!
