Howard County drainage board approves temporary assessment hike after Cotswold Hills residents describe recurring flooding

The Howard County Drainage Board voted during a public meeting to raise the assessment for the Cotswold Hills regulated-drain watershed and directed county staff to pursue additional short-term measures after residents described repeated flooding that has damaged basements, driveways and yard infrastructure.

Residents said the problem intensified after a large pipe was installed in a nearby field in 2024. "Before the pipe was put in in 2024, we didn't have this issue," said Shelly Layman, a neighbor of the heavily affected property, adding that the neighborhood has seen repeated inundation even in storms of about 2–3 inches. Several residents said a June 14 storm produced the largest recent surge and that the new pipe appears to have increased the volume and speed of water flowing into the regulated drain and downstream neighborhoods.

The board heard detailed accounts from multiple homeowners. One resident described constant ground saturation and water breaching doors: "When we get a hard thunderstorm ... I just don't know what to do next," he said, describing pumps that run continuously and a yard that becomes "a mosh pit" in heavy rain. Another resident said riprap from the pond and broken pipe sections washed into yards…