ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball was joined by Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Secretary Serena McIlwain and other state and local leaders to cut the ribbon on the H-4 Flood Mitigation Pond, a critical Ellicott City (EC) Safe and Sound project. The third and largest retention pond to be substantially completed as part of the EC Safe and Sound Plan to date, the H-4 Pond will provide more than 5.5 million gallons of storage, which would fill a football field with nearly 12.8 feet of water. Pictures from the event can be found on the County’s Flickr website and video on the County Executive’s Facebook page.
The completion of this pond marks another giant leap forward in our efforts to implement the transformational EC Safe and Sound flood mitigation plan. The H-4 Pond is our third major retention project to mitigate flood risks in Historic Ellicott City. I’m deeply appreciative of all our local, state, and federal partners who continue to help us make significant progress on the safety of Ellicott City. We continue to move with urgency, cooperation and resolve, to ensure that Ellicott City’s best days are ahead.
Of the $4.3 million in project costs, $3.225 million in State funding was provided to support this project through MDE’s Comprehensive Flood Management Grant Program and the remaining $1.075 million in County funding.
We’ve seen firsthand in Howard County the impact that catastrophic flooding has on public health, safety, and infrastructure, and this is why the Department of the Environment prioritizes funding for stormwater management projects. We are doing our part to protect homes, businesses, and families through stormwater management with the help of residents and businesses that make protection strategies reality. Together, we are building safer, stronger, communities.
To date, Ball’s administration, with the help of State, local, and federal partners, has secured more than $300 million in total funding for his EC Safe and Sound Plan and related flood mitigation projects in Ellicott City, including:
- A $75 million federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan;
- A $20 million award from the Maryland Department of Emergency Management’s Resilient Maryland Revolving Loan Fund, of which the plan’s 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;
- $52 million in low interest loans from MDE’s Water Quality State Revolving Loan Fund to further support the Extended North Tunnel Project;
- More than $58 million in State and federal grants; and
- More than $100 million in local funding.
“The H-4 Pond is one more solid step toward full flood resiliency for our historic town,” said Courtney Watson, Maryland State Delegate for District 9B.
Earlier this year, Ball provided a comprehensive update on his EC Safe and Sound Plan’s progress and announced new funding commitments from the State of Maryland to various projects. To date, three of the five stormwater retention ponds featured in the plan are now complete, including the H-4 Pond, the H-7 Pond, and the Quaker Mill Pond. Combined, these three ponds have the capability of retaining more than 13 million gallons of stormwater runoff during a rainstorm event, which is roughly the equivalent of a football field filled 30 feet deep with water.
As for the two other stormwater retention ponds, the NC-3 Pond to be located on the New Cut branch in Ellicott City and the T-1 Pond to be located on the Tiber tributary are both currently in the preliminary design stage. Once complete, the NC-3 Pond is projected to hold more than 20 million gallons of water and the T-1 Pond more than 22 million gallons.
In addition to these five stormwater retention ponds, Ball’s EC Safe and Sound Plan also includes two stormwater conveyance projects, the Extended North Tunnel and the Maryland Avenue Culverts.
The single largest public works project in Howard County’s history, Ball broke ground on the Extended North Tunnel Project in June 2024. Stretching from the West End to the Patapsco River, this mile-long, 18-foot diameter structure will divert 26,000 gallons of water per second away from Main Street once completed. To get the job done, a 300-foot-long the tunning boring machine named “Rocky,” is expected to arrive in Ellicott City by this winter and begin excavating its way through solid granite about 150 feet below the surface all the way to the Patapsco River. The construction is progressing on schedule and the County anticipates completion of this critical project in fall 2027.
The Maryland Avenue Culverts project will install a new pair of pipe culverts from Lower Main Street into the Patapsco River to better convey water from the Tiber River into the Patapsco River during severe weather events. Final design for the Maryland Avenue Culverts is currently underway.
“The H-4 Pond is our largest infrastructure project completed to date, which delivers on flood mitigation while also preserving the natural environment through the retention of close to 6 acres of mature woods adjacent to the pond,” said Yosef Kebede, Director, Department of Public Works.
In addition to its stormwater retention abilities, the H-4 Pond project will include the planting of 560 trees and 370 shrubs on site in the coming weeks, which will return much of the area to green space over time.
“Every completed project is vital to the resilience and safety of our community. The H-4 Pond is another crucial step towards significantly reducing the risk of devastating floods that have plagued our area for years.,” said Julia Sanger, President, Ellicott City Partnership.
Ball announced the EC Safe and Sound plan in December of 2018, just weeks after taking office, following the recent devastating floods of 2011, 2016, and 2018. Since then, despite the global pandemic, various critical safety measures have been implemented. They include:
- The installation of high ground signage throughout Main Street;
- The completion of an outdoor tone alert system; and
- The establishment of a comprehensive stream debris cleaning program to remove debris from stream channels in and around historic Ellicott City, which has resulted in the removal of more than 110,000 pounds of total debris since implementation.
To learn more about the EC Safe and Sound plan, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/county-executive/ellicott-city-safe-and-sound.