Press Release
Mayor Gavin Buckley
Public Information Office
160 Duke of Gloucester Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
For Immediate Release:
Media contact: Mitchelle Stephenson, 410-972-7724 or mwstephenson@annapolis.gov
Installation Begins on Submersible
Pump Solution for Flooding at City Dock
Annapolis, MD (May 2, 2019) –Mayor Gavin Buckley and Alderwoman Eleanor Tierney (Ward 1) announced that a temporary backflow prevention and pumping solution for the ongoing flooding at City Dock is being installed during the first two weeks of May. As of Thursday, one of the three pumps has been installed.
“This solution is very similar to a sump pump in your basement,” Mayor Buckley explained. “When the water level in the storm drain gets too high, the pumps kick on and push the water out.”
The flooding at City Dock is the result of high tides in Ego Alley. With higher tides due to sea level rise, the flooding has been occurring more frequently. Because the storm drain outfall pipes are below the waterline during high tide in Ego Alley, water backs up through the storm drains onto the street and parking lots along Dock Street.
The City is pursuing a more permanent solution in the Capital Improvement Program passed by the City Council in 2018. That project will take several years to complete. In the meantime, Buckley said that he was looking for something to happen quickly to provide relief to the businesses along Dock Street.
That, he said, is when Alderwoman Tierney, who is a civil engineer, asked a simple question, “Why can’t we just move the water away like we do on a construction site?”
With that simple prompting, engineers from the City of Annapolis devised a solution to install backflow preventers in the storm drain pipe to stop the flow of tidal water from Ego Alley onto the Dock Street. Then, to handle the stormwater during storm events, pumps were installed in the storm drain inlets to push the stormwater out when the tide is high. Backflow preventers and pumps will be installed in three storm drain inlets along Dock Street.
David Jarrell, the Director of Public Works, explained that one of the three installations has already been completed and is operational. The other two installations will be completed within the next two weeks.
“We’ve got significant rain expected over the next few days,” Jarrell said. “These conditions will give us a chance to see the system in action. Obviously, it will work a lot better when all three storm drain inlets are completed.”
Look for the work to be completed by mid-May (weather permitting). # # #
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Alderwoman Tierney and Mayor Gavin Buckley with workers installing the pumps at City Dock.