|
|
September 18, 2020
Dear friends,
Last Thursday, numerous residents across District 3 and Prince George's County experienced climate change driven flash flooding. In general, the storms residents are now experiencing are more intense and frequent then before. Since the event on September 10th, I have been actively in touch with residents, mayors, civic leaders, and County agencies such as DPIE, Department of the Environment and the County's Office of Emergency Management.
Infrastructure and systems were clearly overwhelmed by the rainfall that fell in such a short period. The County's Office of Emergency Management is working closely with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency to determine possible assistance available to County residents.
If you were affected by the flooding, please submit a damage report on the new OEM Assessment Tool: bit.ly/PGCFloodDamage. This is critical.
Staff from OEM and the Department of Permitting Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) are visiting impacted residents to make damage assessments. Based on the assessments, eligibility for assistance will be determined through FEMA and the Small Business Association (SBA). Many assistance programs require a minimum threshold of damage to be met, so it is imperative that everyone who suffered damage or losses fill out the OEM Assessment Tool. Please share the link with your neighbors.
Resources:
Red Cross: 800-733-2767
Storm Water Management Projects:
There are numerous storm water management projects in motion across District 3 including in Seabrook, Berwyn Heights, and the Guilford and Wells Run stream basins. Some of those projects are outlined below. In addition, the county operates an innovative P3 project which also works to address storm water challenges. Learn more at https://thecleanwaterpartnership.com.
New redevelopment projects typically have far better storm water management practices than older developments and surface parking lots. These County standards were updated in 2011 and can be found here. For redevelopment sites, storm water standards as of 2019 require 100% of impervious surface to be addressed--a standard higher than most jurisdictions.
Calvert Hills Drainage Project
This project, in the Guilford Run water basin, would bring this neighborhood drainage system in College Park to the 10yr standard. It includes storm drain upgrades, upgrading capacity of open channels, and installing an underground storage vault at Calvert Park. I am anxiously awaiting confirmation of the timeframe for construction from the Department of the Environment and understand the agency is currently working with utility companies and other entities to navigate the project. A description of the project can be found here.
Wells Run Upstream Storm Water Improvement Project:
 More than 10 years ago, residents In University Park spearheaded an idea to improve upstream storm water management. Most development built 40+ years ago has little or no storm water management and includes lots of impervious surfaces. The idea was investigated, reports produced, and now the County, in coordination with the land agent, Bald Eagle Partners, and Soltesz engineering team, is poised to deliver this project via the Department of the Environment and the CleanWater Partnership managed by Corvias. A special thanks to Mickey Lucas, John Tabori as well as Brad Frome, who previously worked for County Executive Rushern Baker, and so many other advocates for their leadership to move this project forward.
The project will deliver a dual Flood Management/Water Quality program in the area just behind the Prince George's Plaza Community Center off of Adelphi Rd at the Dewey Property and known locally as "Nine Pond." County support allowed the Soltesz engineering team to work with the land agent, Bald Eagle Partners, to ensure that the land ownership team would support easement documents allowing the County construction and maintenance access to the property. The project is designed to reduce the peak flow in Wells Run, which flows through Hyattsville and University Park and drains into portions of College Park.
Progress is moving forward and the project is currently in permitting for the overall development. The wetland permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and MDE was issued just today! Construction funding is budgeted for Fiscal Year 22. The project will take approximately nine months to complete.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As always, feel free to reach out to a member of my District 3 team or me if we can help you in any way. I am sharing updates regularly on social media, especially my Facebook page. #onlytogether
Together Strengthening Our Community,
P.S. Complete the 2020 Census TODAY! Call 844-330-2020, no code needed. Your community is counting on you to complete the Census 2020! #pgcensus #proudtobecounted #onlytogether
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
