Howard County Executive Calvin Ball was joined by Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman and other state and local leaders to cut the ribbon on the Quaker Mill Flood Mitigation Pond, a critical Ellicott City Safe and Sound project.

The pond will provide nearly 3.3 million gallons of storage, which would fill a football field with nearly 7.5 feet of water. It is the second retention pond to be completed as part of the EC Safe & Sound Plan.

Of the $2.8 million in project costs, $2.1 million in state funding was provided to support this project through the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Comprehensive Flood Mitigation Grant Program. The Maryland Board of Public Works unanimously approved the MDE grant to support this project, which improves the prior Quaker Mill Flood Mitigation Pond located at Rogers Avenue. and Patapsco River Road.

“The completion of this pond marks another giant leap forward in our efforts to implement the transformational EC Safe & Sound flood mitigation plan,” said Ball. “The Quaker Mill Pond is our second major retention project to mitigate flooding. It will reduce peak flow rates from the site for the 100-year storm by approximately 30 percent. I’m deeply appreciative for 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.”

The ribbon cutting follows a Jan. 30 update from Ball on the Extended North Tunnel. The tunnel is the largest and most impactful flood mitigation component of the EC Safe & Sound Plan, and it is nearing design completion. The Extended North Tunnel, approximately 5,000 feet long and 18 feet in diameter, will carry 26,000 gallons of stormwater per second.

It will move water away from streets and foundations of Ellicott City and the West End, and directly into the Patapsco River. The Extended North Tunnel is one of seven flood mitigation projects in the Plan.

The Ball Administration, with state, local and federal partners, has secured more than $167 million in total funding for the Plan and related flood mitigation projects in Ellicott City, including a $75 million federal Water Resources Reform and Development Act loan.