Army Corps, Prince George’s County to host public meeting on county levee systems, flood risk management

Published April 17, 2018

BLADENSBURG, Maryland – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, and Prince George’s County are hosting a public meeting April 19 from 7 – 9 p.m. at Bladensburg Elementary School to present on and discuss levee systems in the county along with other flood risk management-related topics like flood mapping, insurance and preparedness.

“The purpose of this meeting is to improve the public’s understanding of the benefits, concerns and risks associated with living behind these levee systems,” said Jehu Johnson, Baltimore District Levee Safety Program manager. “Managing flood risk is a shared responsibility – from the federal level to the public, and we hope residents take advantage of this opportunity to meet with and learn from agency experts.”

Additional meeting participants include the Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Following presentations, there will be a question and answer segment. Largescale maps of the levee systems will also be displayed.

“Several items go into determining the level of flood risk associated with a levee system, such as how often the area may flood; the condition of the levee system; and the population and development behind a levee system,” said Johnson. “With stronger storms occurring more frequently, we can’t fully rely on levee systems to prevent all floods.”

The six levee systems being presented at this meeting include Bladensburg, Brentwood, Colmar Manor, and Hyattsville-Riverdale that reduce the risk of flooding from the Anacostia River; Collington Branch that reduces the risk of flooding from the Collington Branch of the Patuxent River; and Forest Heights that reduces the risk of flooding from Oxon Run. These systems were all constructed by Baltimore District and are now operated and maintained by Prince George’s County.

This meeting is part of an outreach effort through the Maryland Silver Jackets, which is an interagency state-led team that leverages resources to help manage flood risk. The team is federally led by Baltimore District.

"The Prince George's County Department of Public Works and Transportation is pleased to work with the Maryland Silver Jackets to bring the residents of Prince George's County critical information and education concerning flood risk and maintenance efforts surrounding the levees within our county," said DPW&T Director Darrell B. Mobley. "Members from federal, state and local agencies work jointly to ensure our levees are providing the level of safety they were designed to provide."


 


Contact
Paulette Jones
PLJones@co.pg.md.us
or
Sarah Gross
410-962-9015
sarah.d.gross@usace.army.mil

Release no. 18-021