East Ridge eyes levees for flood control
By Adam Crisp acrisp@timesfreepress.com
Online: Read previous stories on East Ridge flooding. Comment. East Ridge is moving forward with plans to build a flood wall or system of levees to stave off the sort of flooding that swept through the city in late September. “We have not really invested in trying to stop water from coming into the city,” Mayor Mike Steele said. “This approach is new for the city, and it is correct for our city. We are only going to experience more problems in the future.” City officials have established a task force to look into ways to prevent future flooding, said City Manager William Whitson. “The first part of the plan is to update our hazard mitigation plan, and the second part is to move into grant preparation,” Mr. Whitson said. Mr. Whitson said the city could apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency grants in summer 2010.
Both men say any steps toward flood relief will be slow, but they say a steady hand will allow them to make the best decisions and secure the most outside funding. Residents say some sort of flood barrier could help protect their homes. “I think it would be worth it for the city to (invest in levees) because of all the flooding and headaches for people who live down here,” said Franklin Tudor, who lives on Maxwell Road and was evacuated during the September floods. “I’ve been here about 20 years now, and I have had flooding about three or four times,” he said. “This year was the worst flooding we’ve had.” In the past, East Ridge leaders have purchased floodprone properties and assisted some homeowners with propping their dwellings on piers to avoid floodwater. But at least once before, city officials have balked at investing in flood barriers. In 1998, about five years after similar floods swept East Ridge, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., secured $25 million for a system of levees for the city. But construction costs were estimated to be more than $33 million, and some estimates put costs at $40 million, according to newspaper archives. East Ridge officials chose not to invest in the project because funding the difference would have required a doubling of the city’s property tax rate, archives show. Mr. Steele said he wasn’t on the City Council in 1998, and Mr. Whitson was hired by East Ridge in January. Now the city is ready to look at the project again. “We can’t Monday-morning quarterback the decisions of the past,” Mr. Whitson said. “Now we need to look at whatever engineering solutions are appropriate to prevent this in the future.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed a plan for East Ridge’s levees back in the 1990s, and it will do it again if asked, said Craig Carrington, chief of plan formulation for the Nashville District Corps of Engineers office. “When the city decides to take action, they can contact us,” Mr. Carrington said. But just like in the ’90s, the cost of the project will be shared by the city, and nothing is cheap or fast about the process. Just studying the project will cost about $100,000 and take 18 months, Mr. Carrington said. If the corps can help, city officials will be expected to absorb 35 percent of the final construction tab, he said. But right now, the corps is barred from engaging in flood mitigation projects, Mr. Carrington said. “In 2009, because of the economic downturn, Congress put a moratorium on floodwater reduction plans,” Mr. Carrington said. “We don’t know yet if that will be a restriction placed on us in 2010.” In the meantime, East Ridge leaders will address smaller issues that could reduce flooding, Mr. Whitson said, including an update of the county Hazard Mitigation Plan and tweaking the city’s Comprehensive Stormwater Master Plan, he said. “We’ve got some immediate things we can go to work on,” said Mr. Steele. “These things can help, especially with these flash floods we experience.” William Whitson
