Controlling the flood waters

Gazette Staff Writer

reporter@gazettepublishingco.com

SANDUSKY -- Groton Township residents - particularly those along St. Rt. 269 and Strecker Road - are anxious about next spring and what could happen if the area gets a lot of snow and rain. Could the massive flooding happen again?

The Erie County Commissioners Office met Thursday morning to discuss a joint ditch project with Sandusky County that could alleviate some of the flood. However, the project comes with a hefty price tag.

The plan, as petitioned, would consist of cleaning a ditch commencing at the intersection of Burdette Wood Ditch and Mills Creek, at which point a flood control structure would be installed, and then continuing southwesterly, cleaning the ditch across the properties of Frederick and Jeanne Wagner, 11519 Strecker Rd., Mary Beth Barnett, 11801 Strecker Rd., and southerly through the property of Craig and Karen Perkins, 11705 Strecker Rd., approximately 1,718 feet to the south side of Strecker Road. Then continuing southwesterly across the properties of Louis Jordan, Louise Thompson, 11808 Strecker Rd., and Jerry and Jean Montgomery, 8906 St. Rt. 269, to St. Rt. 269, a distance of approximately 1,175 feet.

At this same location, a shallow swale would be constructed in a southeasterly direction to help control the amount of water pooling on the Lauber, Robert Hammersmith, James Frederick and Baptist Church properties.

"This swale would be approximately 550 feet long and may also help shorten the time of flooding over St. Rt. 269," said Ken Fortney, Drainage Manager for the Erie County Engineers. "This would have to be decided after surveying is done. It may prove to be of no value if the flood area cannot be drained."

"It should also be noted, that should this project be completed, the low laying lands that currently flood when the sinkholes are running will still flood. This flooding would occur because the flood control structure would only let the upper layer of flood waters out since the bottom of Mills Creek is higher than some of this surrounding land," said Fortney. "This same function happens now as was evident during this past spring's flooding. Also, if Mills Creek is at bank full stage during one of these events, it would not allow the flood valve to open and the flood stage would be prolonged at the higher elevation until Mills Creek flow is subsided."

Fortney said the property owners in the area should install their own flood protection because of this.

Involved in the ditch cleaning would be installing new outlet pipe ends, spreading soil, removing trees and brush from the ditch bottom, then seed the slope and berm. The cost for this original proposal, which is only one of four, would cost $122,987.50.

Option one would include the original proposal, and include cleaning and deepening Mills Creek from Portland Road to the mouth of Burdette Wood Ditch.

"It appears that Mills Creek could be lowered, however, the final estimated grade of Mills Creek, coupled with the additional width needed to compensate for the flatter grade, would create a creek that would most likely lay stagnant during the dryer season," said Fortney. "This would lead to undesirable weeds and associated with stagnant or sluggish waterways. Accordingly, an additional maintenance liability would be created due to the flat grade. This would allow silts to settle out more readily through this section requiring frequent channel excavations to remove them."

The cost for option one would be $199,657.50.

Option two would include the cost of the original proposal, plus adding a pump station at the intersection of Mills Creek and Burdette Wood Ditch. This would involve constructing electric service from St. Rt. 269 east between the properties of Dale Jr. and Mary Close and Dale and Helen Gasteier, then continuing across the properties of Mary Beth Barnett and Craig and Karen Perkins, onto the property of Frederick and Jeanne Wagner.

The pump station would then be the outlet location of a proposed 36-inch storm sewer that would be constructed from near the west property line of the Wagner property and along the south side of Burdette Wood Ditch, and following the ditch to the proposed pump station and end there.

This combination of storm sewer and pump station would function to lower the water in the flooded area once the sinkholes have stopped charging said Fortney. This would shorten the time that the surrounding area is flooded, again once the sinkholes have stopped discharging water to the surface.

The cost for option two would be $403,087.50.

Option three is similar to option two, except the electric, storm sewer and pump station would be located along the north side of Strecker Road. The 36-inch storm sewer would begin at Burdette Wood Ditch on the side of Strecker Road and then extend east to the location of the Snyder and Bibricker Ditches intersection and there tie into a lift pump station. This combination would function as the proposed option two and would not control flooding but would drain the standing water after the sinkholes have stopped pushing.

The cost for option three would be $641,472.50.

"It is the office's opinion that the project, as petitioned, may be the most cost-effective way to convey the storm run-off water from the channel to the sinkholes that naturally provide drainage for this area," said Fortney. "However, this will not provide for any flood relief during the periods of when the sinkholes are discharging to the surface."

Ken Rospert, St. Rt. 269 just north of Potter Road, saw extensive damage to his home and property during the spring floods. He questioned the time frame of when the project can begin.

"It's not a matter of if, its a matter of when," said Rospert about future flooding.

"First the board will have to choose which option to proceed with. When an option is decided upon we will engineer the area, and when that is complete there will be a second public hearing," said Fortney. "The board will then decide whether to complete the project or not, and with no protests to the common pleas...really I can't give a time frame, but I would guess around three to four months,"

Option one, which includes deepening and widening a section of Mills Creek, would help provide for overflow if the channel can be lowered enough to provide for gravity from some of the low laying areas within the project watershed.

"To make a more informed determination as to the feasibility of this option some detailed survey and possibly engineering would need to be performed. If this option proves to be the best project to serve more of the needs of the area, then it would be necessary to expand the assessed area since it would provide an outlet that would drain the overflow from Sandusky County and additional lands in Erie County," said Fortney.

"The total watershed that would be serviced by this project is approximately 474.77 acres of land in Erie County," said Fortney. "This watershed is established without consideration of flood routing from sinkhole areas adjacent to it in Erie County or Sandusky County."

If it were determined to also include those areas that would flow to this project then the watershed could conceivably be expanded to include an additional 511.68 acres from a sub-watershed in Sandusky County and an additional 325.14 acres in Erie County, according to Fortney.

The total watershed would include 1,520.11 acres in Sandusky County and 799.91 acres in Erie County. The distance from the mouth of Burdette Ditch at Mills Creek to the upper reach of this watershed in Sandusky County is approximately 3.6 miles.

"It does not seem practical to include this entire area, as there are areas within the defined contour lines that could not logically ever fill their basins and flow out," stated Fortney.

Once the project is completed, it would be placed on the Erie County Ditch Maintenance rolls. It would then be maintained by the Ditch Maintenance Department by assessments on the benefited properties.