Flooding in Turner Station, January 9, 2024. Credit: Olivia Lomax.
Flooding in Turner Station, January 9, 2024. Credit: Olivia Lomax.

As torrential rain beat down Tuesday night, Baltimore County Council members were multitasking, checking on flooding in their districts during a public hearing on the countyโ€™s proposed 10 year master plan.

Simultaneously, they were being warned that the threat of climate change had been watered down in the proposed master plan by the county planning board.

โ€œStormwater is at the core of climate change,โ€ said Klaus Philipsen with We The People-Baltimore County, a non-profit that wants predictable, transparent development in Baltimore County.

Philipsen said precipitation rates are increasing and that the countyโ€™s stormwater facilities are not designed to handle it.

โ€œThe master plan needs to address that,โ€ Philipsen said.

โ€œI am astounded that any member of the planning board would want to weaken provisions about climate change,โ€ said 5th District Councilman David Marks.

Marks, a Republican, represents Bowleys Quarters, a waterfront community that is prone to flooding. He reported during the hearing Tuesday that roads in Bowleys Quarters were beginning to flood.

Read more (and listen) at WYPR.