Dam Release Poses Flooding Threat to Odenton, Crofton

UPDATED: (2:05 p.m.)—The National Weather Service and local officials have warned of potential flooding stretching to the Odenton and Crofton area, due to the release of waters from a dam on the Patuxent River. 

The Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission said it released water from the Brighton Dam in Brookeville and the T. Howard Duckett Dam in Laurel.

Patuxent Road in Odenton is closed and local police have warned people to avoid the area. 

The NWS said the releases will cause heavy water flow from the Little Patuxent River into the Patuxent River, impacting the areas of Laurel, Crofton, Bowie and Upper Marlboro. 

The Laurel area was seeing flooding or streets and properties, with many roads closed. 

Laurel Patch reported that the Patuxent River is typically at 2.4 feet when it enters the Triadelphia Reservoir, but the river reached 10.5 feet earlier Thursday.

Readers reported seeing emergency vehicles heading down Patuxent Road at the south end of Odenton. Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman Lt. Jack Beall said there was an initial call of a person stranded in their car on the road, but that the person was no longer there by the time responders arrived. 

Patuxent Road is closed due to high waters, and Beall warned that there could be standing and rising waters at various spots in the county.

"There is sigificant flooding in the area," he said. 

The National Weather Service offered the following advisory to drivers:

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

 

This is a developing story. Patch will update as new information becomes available.