Recent Floods Highlight the Importance of Infrastructure Investment and Smart Growth in Maryland
Over the last month, communities across Maryland have been ravaged by flooding. First Frederick and parts of Southern Maryland were inundated by heavy rain. A week later, Ellicott City’s historic district was destroyed for the second time in less than two years by a torrent of stormwater, and homes in Southwest Baltimore were damaged by flooding. Then parts of Western Howard County and Carroll County were affected by flooding that shut down more than a dozen roads. The entire Eastern Seaboard was hit with consecutive extreme rain events throughout the month of May and into the beginning of June, and these events are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change. In order to protect lives, homes, and businesses, state and local policymakers must continue to take steps to manage flooding, restrict development that will worsen flooding, and mitigate climate change.
Flood management and infrastructure investment protect thriving communities
Heavy rain brought flooding to the City of Frederick and surrounding areas on May 15, causing millions of dollars’ worth of damage to MARC rail lines, roads, homes and businesses. Governor Hogan declared a state of emergency and residents were asked to limit water usage to lower the burden on the city’s water treatment facility, which was in danger of overflowing.
Though Maryland’s state and local governments can’t completely eliminate the danger of flooding, it is critical that communities that lie in flood-prone areas are prepared for these events. The damage in Frederick would have been worse if not for the Carroll Creek flood control project, which was constructed following a devastating flood in 1976. Six inches of rain fell in two hours on May 15, compared to the same amount of rain over 16 hours during the 1976 flood. The system wasn’t designed to handle so much rain so quickly, but it still directed a significant amount of water away from downtown Frederick and helped to limit the damage to businesses and homes. City officials are exploring options to further improve flood management to accommodate increasingly frequent extreme rain events.
Last month’s heavy rains also caused more than 10 million gallons of sewage-contaminated stormwater to be discharged into the Jones Falls River in Baltimore, mostly in a section of the river near Penn Station on its way into the Inner Harbor. Baltimore’s century-old sewer system is frequently overwhelmed by heavy rain and requires significant investments to make repairs and updates in order to reduce sewage pollution in the harbor and surrounding waterways. Sewage pollution is a health hazard and is the main barrier to Baltimore’s goal of a fishable, swimmable harbor.
Investing in modern sewer and stormwater control systems is critical to protecting Marylanders during extreme storms, and policymakers should ensure that sufficient resources are available at the state and local levels to make the needed improvements. While the floods also highlighted the importance of having funds set aside for infrastructure repair following natural disasters, improved protections could also reduce the amount of emergency repairs.
Unrestrained development has costly impacts for Maryland
For the second time in two years, horrific flooding swept through Historic Ellicott City, destroying businesses, homes, historic buildings, and roadways and killing one person. Some businesses had reopened less than nine months ago, after spending more than a year rebuilding.
Since the last flood in 2016, Howard County began to implement projects to mitigate flooding to the town, but little could be done in only two years to make up for the effects of the last three decades of development in the surrounding area. Some experts say it is likely that the glut of impermeable surfaces due to these new developments in and around historic Ellicott City is causing rain water to run off more quickly into the rivers that converge just above the town, increasing the likelihood of flash flooding in extreme weather as water flows to the Patapsco River. Now, extensive flood management projects to make the town safer could cost tens of millions of dollars. This would be on top of the millions of dollars both the county and state government invested in rebuilding the town in 2016 and likely will spend again in the coming months.
As Maryland continues to grow, policymakers must ensure that new development does not pose a threat to existing communities and public investments.
Climate change brings dangerous flooding and more ill effects to Maryland
Scientists have connected the increase in extreme rain events and flooding in the Eastern United States to climate change. Maryland is also feeling other effects of climate change, like rising sea levels, increasing water temperatures that threaten crab and oyster populations, and intensifying heat waves.
In addition to homes and businesses that lie in noncoastal floodplains, 125,000 homes along Maryland’s coastline are vulnerable to moderate or extreme damage from storm surges. As hurricane season gears up, a powerful storm could do as much as $28 billion worth of property damage to Maryland communities. Some Eastern Shore communities still haven’t fully recovered from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Many of these communities are also threatened by rising sea levels and already experience regular flooding during high tides and full moons.
The Maryland Commission on Climate Change was created in 2007 to advise policymakers on how to mitigate and prepare for the effects of climate change. Lawmakers must stay committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the availability of renewable energy, and funding adaptive infrastructure to protect the health and livelihoods of all Marylanders. There are many challenges ahead as Maryland adapts to a changing climate, but there is also the opportunity to create a sustainable economy and local communities.
