A group studying the longtime issues of flooding in historic Ellicott City recommended a multi-faceted approach this week, calling for structural, maintenance and educational initiatives along the Patapsco River and Hudson/Tiber watershed tributaries to aid preparation and prevention for future flooding.

But even with those initiatives, “People need to understand that no matter what we do, the flooding is not going to go away,” said Raj Kudchadkar, special projects manager for the county's Department of Planning and Zoning.

“There's no silver bullet here,” he said. “The key is the more we can educate individuals who reside down there, we can do a lot to minimize the damage and increase the safety.”

County Executive Allan Kittleman formed the Flood Advisory Work Group last May to focus on long-term flood preparation and prevention, assigning 10 members, including Ellicott City residents, business and property owners and experts in the field. The group held a public hearing Monday.

Kittleman also designated $2.5 million in his fiscal year 2016 budget to develop 10 flood mitigation projects in Ellicott City, according to Raj Kudchadkar, Department of Planning and Zoning special projects manager.

Those projects involve inspection, design and repair construction of retaining walls, a flood proofing study and channel reformation under the Tiber Park Bridge.

Flooding has long been an issue in the historic area of Ellicott City, with hurricanes and tropical storms — including Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972, Hurricane Eloise in 1975, Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011 — causing significant damage to businesses and homes.

Kudchadkar said the work group composed a preliminary report over several meetings between June and December 2015, discussing ways to seek grants, lower insurance rates made by Federal Emergency Management Agency, and kick-start educational initiatives in the community.

Len Berkowitz, co-owner of Great Panes Art Glass Studio on Main Street in Ellicott City, said while he's happy to hear the group's flood mitigation progress, flood insurance rates by FEMA are becoming unaffordable.

“My flood insurance from FEMA has gone up every year,” Berkowitz said. “Now, they have decided that they rated me incorrectly, so my rate has almost doubled.”

Having experienced flooding at his business over the past 37 years, Berkowitz said he wants projects that will keep the water “out of the way and into the river.”

“I wasn't here in 1972, but in 1980 and 2011, I did have the FEMA claim of approximately $24,000 and they paid it with no problem,” Berkowitz added. “I have a good experience with them, but I'm not sure I can afford their insurance anymore. If there was a flood, I would assume I'd sell the land and that would be it for me.”

Committee member Frank Durantaye, also an Ellicott City resident and business owner, agreed.

“Insurance rates are going to rise and they're going to pay for less and less, so we got our work cut out for us,” Durantaye said.

Grace Kubofcik, a vice president of Patapsco Greenway Heritage preservation organization, said it supports the work group and hopes to offer help in environmental assessments for projects.

“The Patapsco River is what holds the whole area together,” Kubofcik said. “We are very interested in the environmental component of that valley and we're particularly interested in the water in that valley.”

As an educational institution, Kubofcik said, Patapsco Greenway Heritage has expertise, and will act as a part of the work group.

Debbie Slack Katz, the work group chairwoman, said further progress remains to educate the community on flooding. She said some people don't realize the impact flooding has on the area.

“Somebody said to me, ‘I don't live anywhere close to the flood plain. Why should I care?' It was very interesting to hear from their perspective that they didn't put two and two together and understand how it affects so many other people,” Katz said.

“It really made me wonder how many people aren't aware of what an issue flooding is for anybody in the county,” she said. “It's not just an Ellicott City issue.”

Kudchadkar said one possibility proposed in the report is a “Water Day” event to gather community members, talk about flood mitigation and share their roles in the process. Families could also learn how storm management systems work in their area, how water gets into the ground and how debris thrown into streams affects its flow.

Using the community's feedback, Kudchadkar said the work group will dive deeper into the flooding issue.