Homeowners would have to foot bill for engineering solutions to be reimbursed

By Greg Ellison

(Feb. 4, 2021) In addition to investing in expensive stormwater runoff solutions, the Ocean Pines Association is looking for grants to help property owners resolve  their own flooding problems.

Director of Amenities and Operational Logistics Colby Phillips said General Manager John Viola and Public Works Director Eddie Wells have talked to more than a dozen homeowners whose properties flood frequently, sometimes leaving them with standing water for prolonged periods.

“There have been numerous visits to people’s homes and reach-outs from people who have flood issues in their yards,” she said.

Phillips said unlike the Bainbridge Pond drainage project, many properties suffering from drainage problems aren’t legally accessible by the association personnel.

“Part of the problem is in a lot of these places Ocean Pines doesn’t own an easement behind the house, so we’re not able to go on the property,” she said.

In these instances, property owners would have to foot the bill to develop and deploy their own solutions, although certain rights to adjacent properties could help in some instances.

“Some people have a ditch behind their homes,” she said. “If it’s owned by Ocean Pines, there could be something we could do to alleviate water in the backyard.”

Phillips said in some locations surrounding properties exacerbate the problem.

“Sometimes it’s just where people are located,” she said. “Some homes sit in a bowl where everything drains down into their home.”

Other factors at play include increasingly prevalent rainstorms.

“When you have the storms that we had … two months ago, where you get five to six inches of rain,” she said. “In those type of events it’s hard to find any type of solution that’s going to help.”

The association is working to assist property owners cover the costs to complete projects to regain regular use of their yards and to reduce flood-related property damage.

“The first question would be is there anything that can be done to alleviate the water?” she said. “Second, are there any types of grant funding for homeowners dealing with these issues to help with expenses?”

Phillips said investigations of stormwater issues generally begin with a site assessment from Worcester County. That could lead to the possibility of an engineering study.

“When you’re dealing with water, you have to have a place for it to go,” she said. “Ideally, an engineer can suggest projects and costs, [which] homeowners would then have to pay.”

To that end, the association has budgeted $20,000 to pay back costs for engineering studies on private lots.

“What Ocean Pines would do at the conclusion of the project, we would look at reimbursing the cost of the engineering fees up to $5,000 per project area,” she said.

Phillips said while the Pines allotment would not apply to project expenses, research is underway to locate grants to help cover the cost of the improvements.

In addition to getting help identifying potential grants from Maryland Coastal Bays Program officials, federal and state agencies are also being contacted.

“It’s a collaborative team effort on many different pieces that are working to see what we can do to help this problem,” she said.

Poorly graded locations prone to standing water can ultimately affect the larger environment.

“One of the biggest things where water stagnates is it suffocates trees,” she said.

Phillips said this negative impact beyond a private lot’s boundaries could open the way to alternative funding sources.

“That’s the piece that helps us be able to start looking at the funding possibilities,” she said.

While the issues and answers affecting individual properties might vary, all locations do share some common problems.

“The bottom line is there are flooding issues and a lot of standing water,” she said. “People’s yards get ruined and some … foundations get ruined.”

In many cases, residents are uncertain where to start in addressing flooding problems.

“The idea was to work with them to develop plans,” she said.

Phillips said initial conversations with flood-prone property owners trace back nearly a year.

“It’s not a quick process,” she said. “Some of them have had issues for decades, it’s just now things are getting worse.”