Varying circumstances call for solutions that can be adapted for specific areas

By Greg Ellison

(March 5, 2020) While work to remedy numerous flooding and water retention problems throughout Ocean Pines continues to gain momentum, resident Katie Conforti, who lives directly south of Route 90 remains concerned about standing water in nearby yards and Ocean Pines Association-owned parcels and ditches.

“This water has been here for years,” she said.

The area in question includes Offshore Lane and Tail of the Fox Drive, which are located directly east of the retention pond by the Ocean Pines library.

Conforti said a number of homes in her area have reoccurring flooding in their yards after heavy rain.

“If you look in the back yards, it looks like there is a swamp,” she said.

Conforti said a drainage ditch located south of Route 90 should channel excessive water to the retention pond by the library, but it functions poorly because of lack of maintenance.

“There’s a main ditch here where it is supposed to go,” she said. “That’s why when you get closer to [Route] 90, everything’s under water.”

Speaking on Tuesday, Director of Amenities and Operational Logistics Colby Phillips said consulting work with Vista Design and principal

Ocean Pines resident Katie Conforti has continuing concerns about water retention problems directly south of Route 90 where numerous neighbors experience standing water following precipitation events.

is continuing, and that further assessments of problem sections were being completed that morning.

“A lot of those areas where there’s standing water … there’s problems with the outflow,” she said.

Finding solutions for water flow, in many cases on wetlands, are still under investigation, Phillips said.

“It doesn’t mean we can’t do something with it,” she said. “It’s the non-tidal wetlands.”

The initial challenge is to ascertain ownership for specific land parcels.

“We have to figure out which portion of it is Ocean Pines, which is the homeowner, and work together,” she said. “There’s so many different pieces to the standing water issue.”

Phillips said the causes of bad drainage and standing water varies according to location. “For some … there’s just no place for it to go because there’s a blockage … or the culvert pipes were built with the infrastructure of the neighborhood and they might need to be replaced,” she said.

Polk said initial work to assess water flow challenges have focused on areas deemed high priority based on previous resident complaints.

“We’re working with the OPA to review those cases and identify possible improvements to the issues,” he said.

Polk said the OPA leadership is still reviewing past efforts to see what approaches worked.

“Were those efforts successful … fully [or] partially?” he said. “We’re trying to evaluate so that any money that is spent moving forward is solving a problem rather than fixing an individual solution or issue.”

Polk said in Ocean Pines, and other low-lying areas along the shore, drainage problems have many causes.

“You need to look at things in a holistic approach,” he said. “You need to look at the entire watershed, starting at the outfall and … that’s just what we’ve begun with Ocean Pines.”

Polk said that addressing outfall origins also presents challenges.

“Ocean Pines obviously outfalls into three major watersheds [and ] it is also split by Route 90 that runs through it,” he said. “It’s got a lot of components that have to be factored into any ultimate solution.”

Phillips said while solutions are being sought, a strategy is being developed to deliver long-term resolutions of the problems.

“As we go forward, we’re surrounded by three areas of water,” she said. “There’s stuff we can do and then there’s stuff we can’t do. This isn’t a one and done, this is a continuous effort.”