Grant Sought To Address Ocean Pines Drainage Concerns

SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners authorized a grant application last week that could help with significant drainage improvements in Ocean Pines.

The commissioners voted unanimously to allow staff to apply for a grant in partnership with the Ocean Pines Association and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program. If received, the grant would fund the retrofit of Bainbridge Pond and maximize treatment of stormwater runoff.

“This is the future and the future is here,” said Bob Mitchell, the county’s director of environmental programs. “These kinds of efforts are going to become more commonplace for Worcester as we move forward to create resiliency within our communities.”

Mitchell said that because most of Ocean Pines was developed before stormwater regulations existed, much of the community was in need of retrofits, maintenance and upgrades to help alleviate flooding. The community worked with the county and River Run to make improvements to Beauchamp Road a few years ago and now plans to work with the developer of the Refuge at Windmill Creek — the former Pine Shore course — on this project.

“In this watershed we need 57% reduction in nitrogen and 39% reduction of phosphorous so this project maximizes water quality treatment to stormwater runoff prior to entering the Shingle Landing Prong, which is a tributary to the Isle of Wight Bay,” Mitchell said. “The work will retrofit the existing Bainbridge amenity pond and its associated outfall channels within the Ocean Pines development.”

Mitchell said it would provide for new interconnections for runoff from Bainbridge Pond and other areas. A variety of stormwater features will be installed.

“Also we’re doing improvements to the pond’s outfall channels,” Mitchell said. “They’re compacted with legacy materials and they’re going to be replaced with sand and planting materials to create a bioswale. That aids in flood protection as well for the neighboring homes.”

Through the proposed improvements, Mitchell said 70 acres of currently untreated urban runoff would be treated to Maryland Department of the Environment standards.

Mitchell said that while the Ocean Pines Association was planning on contributing about $700,000 to the project, the grant officials want to apply for would fund the rest of the more than $2 million project.

“Ocean Pines has done the sweat equity here,” Mitchell said. “They’ve spent in excess of six figures in engineering this and other retrofit projects for the community. It’s what needs to be done to compete with the larger jurisdictions across the state for this limited grant money.”

Though these improvements will only address two sections of Ocean Pines, if the grant is received Ocean Pines will be in a better financial position to move forward with projects in other areas of the community.

Commissioner Chip Bertino, who represents Ocean Pines, praised the cooperative effort that made the grant application possible.

“It’s really nice to see this come to fruition,” he said.

Commissioner Josh Nordstrom also praised the proposal but said he hoped to see similar work occur in his district in southern Worcester County.

“We have severe flooding issues and drainage issues,” he said. “I get calls every couple of weeks. I would just like to see those addressed by your department and others in some fashion because it’s not going to get better unless the county takes action.”

Mitchell said the areas Nordstrom referenced were being looked at and could result in future projects.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

Alternative Text

Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.