Weekend Winds Prompt Howard County Crews To Inspect Streams, Remove Debris

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — High winds over the weekend led to multiple downed trees throughout the county, prompting officials to enact its stream inspections and debris removal program in the Historic Ellicott City watershed.

"Under our Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan, we prioritize waterway inspections and removal of debris after major rainfall and high winds to ensure that our vulnerable waterways remain clear and unobstructed. Frequent debris clearing helps remove objects that constrict the flow of water in vulnerable stream channels and can worsen flooding during severe storms," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.

The enhanced stream inspection and debris removal program was one of the early initiatives adopted under the county executive's Safe and Sound Plan. Since 2018, Howard County has initiated 25 debris removal events and cleared more than 91,000 pounds of debris from stream channels in and around Ellicott City through a partnership with Howard EcoWorks.

Essentially, debris will be removed after any rain event of 2 inches or greater in a 24-hour period or after an hour of sustained winds greater than 30mph. Previously, waterways were only inspected on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. Following the initiation of a debris clearing event, all vulnerable waterways are inspected within three business days and all debris is removed within 14 days of the inspection.