ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today delivered an update on the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan’s progress and announced new funding commitments from the State of Maryland to various projects. The EC Safe and Sound Plan outlines a bold, aggressive stormwater mitigation and public safety strategy for Historic Ellicott City, which suffered from three recent devastating flood events in 2011, 2016 and 2018. This plan was adopted less than one month after Ball became County Executive.
“Through our ambitious Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan, we are innovatively addressing flood mitigation head on with strategies that will preserve historic character and enhance the safety of our beloved Ellicott City,” said Ball. “Through collaboration with incredible partners, we have made immense progress since 2019 in enhancing Ellicott City’s strength and resilience.”
Stormwater Retention Ponds
A total of five stormwater retention ponds are included in the Safe and Sound plan. These ponds are designed to gather and control the release of rainwater and runoff during intense storms.
H-7
Completed in 2022, the H-7 pond, located at the interchange of Routes 29 and 40, has the capacity to hold 4.24 million gallons of water in a heavy rain event.
Quaker Mill
Completed in 2023, the Quaker Mill Pond, located at the intersection of Rogers Avenue and Patapsco River Road, has the capacity to hold 3.3 million gallons of stormwater.
H-4
In June 2024, Howard County broke ground on the H-4 pond project. Located along Frederick Road, just west of Route 29, the H-4 pond will have the capacity to hold 5.5 million gallons of water once completed. Construction of the H-4 pond is progressing on schedule and the pond is expected to be fully operational in Fall 2025.
The combined stormwater capacity of the H-7, Quaker Mill and H-4 ponds will be more than 13 million gallons – roughly the equivalent of a football field filled 30 feet deep with water.
T-1
Preliminary design of the T-1 pond began in September 2024. Located just west of historic Ellicott City, T-1 will be the first such facility in the Tiber Branch Watershed. The first phase of analysis is expected to be completed in Fall 2025. Once complete, the T-1 pond will have the capability to hold 22 million gallons of water, more than doubling the total stormwater retention capacity in the Historic Ellicott City watershed.
NC-3
The NC-3 pond, located southwest of historic downtown, will capture and hold stormwater on the New Cut branch of the watershed. This 20.5-million-gallon capacity facility will feature a large dam. NC-3 remains in the final design phase as the H-4 and T-1 projects advance.
Stormwater Conveyance Projects
The Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan features two key stormwater conveyance projects that reduce flood risks by facilitating the safe flow of stormwater around or through historic Ellicott City.
Maryland Avenue Culverts
The Maryland Avenue Culverts project at Lower Main Street will create a new and expanded outlet for water from the Tiber-Hudson Branch to flow into the Patapsco River. Two parallel pipes from the stream channel beneath the CSX rail line to the river will be installed. This project is in the final design phase.
Extended North Tunnel
The Extended North Tunnel Project is the single largest public works project in Howard County’s history and is the focal point of the Safe and Sound plan. The County broke ground on this monumental project in June 2024. This mile-long, 18-foot diameter structure will stretch from the West End to the Patapsco River, protecting the town by funneling upland water flow away from Main Street directly to the river. The tunnel will have the capacity to channel water at a rate of 26,000 gallons per second.
In Fall 2025, the tunnel boring machine, named “Rocky” by popular vote, is scheduled to arrive in Ellicott City. The 300-foot-long “Rocky” will excavate through solid granite about 150 feet below the surface all the way to the Patapsco River.
The County anticipates cutting the ribbon on this critical project in Fall 2027.
New State Funding
Funding for Ellicott City Safe and Sound projects comes from local, state and federal sources. Howard County Executive Ball announced two key funding commitments today that will help advance these projects to completion. The Maryland Department of Emergency Management informed Howard County in December of a $20 million award from the Resilient Maryland Revolving Loan Fund. The Extended North Tunnel, Maryland Avenue Culverts and the T-1 and NC-3 ponds will each receive another $5 million in low-interest financing from this program.
In late Fall 2024, the Maryland Department of the Environment also awarded $18.1 million in low interest loans from its Water Quality State Revolving Loan Fund, which will further support the Extended North Tunnel Project.
“For more than 250 years, Ellicott City has stood as a center of economic opportunity and community character,” said Ball. “Together, we will demonstrate that building resilience for historic and flood prone areas is not only achievable but that it can be done in a way that preserves and uplifts communities. We will continue to push these monumental projects forward until Ellicott City is the exemplar for our country.”
Strengthening Old Ellicott City’s structures
Deconstruction of four flood-prone, vacant and deeply damaged structures on Lower Main Street began in early 2024, allowing workers to thoughtfully preserve character-defining elements like cornices, railings and stone. Unlike the prior administration’s plan, the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan emphasized the need to preserve as much historic architecture as possible. Six historic buildings previously slated for demolition are saved under the Safe and Sound Plan, including the iconic Caplan’s Building at 8125 Main Street currently under renovation. The remaining buildings are currently undergoing exterior renovations to enhance flood safety and remove portions of the buildings that constricted the stream channel. All six buildings will eventually be restored and brought back to market, enhancing activity on Lower Main Street.
Tiber Park
In the place of the four buildings that once straddled the Tiber-Hudson branch is a vibrant, activated outdoor space. The newly expanded Tiber Park space features an inviting, open-air concept complete with turf, seating, planters and lighting. The park has provided space for Halloween, Main Street Must Festival and Midnight Madness celebrations, infusing energy where vacant buildings once stood.
Other Safety Enhancements
In addition to essential infrastructure construction, the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan implemented practical solutions to address the town’s flood vulnerabilities. Among these, the County has installed high ground signage directing residents, workers and visitors to safe routes away from floodwater. Today, an Outdoor Tone Alert System notifies residents, workers and visitors in the event of flash flood danger. Through a partnership with local nonprofit Howard EcoWorks, the County has cleared more than 91,000 pounds of materials and debris from waterways around Ellicott City, which helps facilitate safe water flow and reduce flooding.
For additional information about the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan and the County’s progress toward flood mitigation, please visit this page.
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