There was a packed meeting with citizens
from the Ashbrook community and Mayor Walt Maddox, along with other ranking city officials.
The topic was recent flooding there.
Hurricane Creekkeeper, presented evidence that shows clogged drains were the cause of most flooding.
It is obvious that whoever inspected the drains and declared them open and working well did not look inside the main system.
Link to Ashbrook / Wood Square drainage conditions.
Link to Ashbrook clogged drains
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Woodlands developer to seek variance
Woodlands developer to seek variance
Published: Saturday, August 21, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 20, 2010 at 11:30 p.m. 
TUSCALOOSA | The Woodlands of Tuscaloosa will ask the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a special exception and a variance at Monday’s meeting of the board.
The meeting is set for 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. The issues include a fence at the development’s entrance on Hargrove Road and a request to subdivide the property into two pieces, said John McConnell, the director of planning and development services.
The Woodlands is a large, newly constructed apartment complex next to Snow Hinton Park that has been at the center of a controversy over flooding this summer. Hargrove Road in front of the development has flooded four times since its construction. The road hadn’t flooded since the early ’90s before the development’s construction.
John Wathen, Creekkeeper for Hurricane Creek, has monitored the flooding. He opposes the special exception for the fence and the variance for the property subdivision.
“There is no accountability if the City Council rubber-stamps these special exemptions after the fact,” Wathen said. “Why should a developer even attempt to follow the rules if all he has to do is do it the way he wants to and then come back and get a special exemption?”
The developers are asking for a special exception related to a fence at the property’s entrance.
All property has a “required front yard” that lies between the front property line and the setback line, McConnell said. Any fence built in that space in a residential area can be no more than 4 feet tall and must be 50 percent open.
The fence built at the entrance to the Woodlands is in its required front yard and is up to 6 feet tall in some places and its construction is solid.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment can provide a special exception for a taller or denser fence if the board finds it desirable for security or privacy and it will not damage the neighborhood’s character or appearance. The city engineer must also determine that it does not present a traffic hazard
Neither the planning staff nor the city engineer objected to the special exception for the fence, McConnell said.
But Wathen said the city shouldn’t allow it.
“The special exception on the fence was requested after the fence was built,” Wathen said. “This should have been done in the initial plans. There’s a reason for this and it’s safety. For them to build it and then come back and ask for a special exemption is a slap in the face of the process.”
The developers are asking for a variance that would allow the property to be subdivided into two pieces of property. McConnell said city zoning ordinances prohibit a development being subdivided into two developments.
The city approved a design for a single development. The zoning ordinance’s intent is to prevent a single development from becoming and functioning as two developments, McConnell said. That could lead to a dysfunctional development, he said.
The developer is asking that a part of the development that has not yet been built on be carved out as a separate lot. McConnell said the reason the developer gave was related to financing.
This is what they want to separate from the finished section. If subdivision is allowed, there would be no way to hold the entire complex accountable for environmental or other enforcement actions. (JLW)
It is quite obvious that the developer has no concerns for the rules. Massive amounts of sediment are leaving this site creating stream beds that are inundated with soil causing more flooding! (JLW)
The developer wants to designate what it has finished building now as Phase I of the development, McConnell said. The undeveloped property would be developed later as Phase II. The developer’s bank wants the two phases financed separately, he said, and that requires the property to be subdivided.
To qualify for a variance, the property owner must have a hardship. Part of the hardship the developer listed is how the flood area divides the property in two, McConnell said.
Wathen noted that if the developer says that flooding is a hardship, that’s not a valid reason for granting the variance.
“It was self-induced in my opinion,” Wathen said.
Wathen said he doesn’t want to see the developed portions of the property isolated from the developed portions of the property. Planned unit developments are approved as one piece of property and should remain that way, he said.
“These plans were flawed from the very beginning,” Wathen said. “They should be held accountable and the entire property should be held accountable.”
McConnell doesn’t believe that the flood area’s location on the property is a valid hardship because the flood way existed when the development was designed and it was designed around the flood area. But McConnell doesn’t oppose the variance if the developer will agree to certain conditions. (WHAT CONDITIONS set this developer above the law? JLW)
But McConnell said he wants the developer to agree to legal documents that would prevent the property from ever being allowed to function as two developments. It must be required to continue to function and flow as one development.
(It seems to me that the city is trying to find excuses to allow this even though it breaks the rules set and approved by the citizens of Tuscaloosa. We need new politics or new politicians in Tuscaloosa. No developer or development is more important than the safety and well being of citizens! JLW)
Irresponsible planning and poor accountability are the problems causing this subtle disaster with every rain event.
What good are laws that are broken and then waived to accommodate the developers profit? (JLW)
Hurricane Creek and Black Warrior River yesterday 08/20/10.
Irresponsible planning and poor accountability are the problems causing this subtle disaster with every rain event.
What good are laws that are broken and then waived to accommodate the developers profit? (JLW)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Engineer lists plans to thwart flooding
More excuses for bad planning.
Chad Christian says we are having "Excessive" rain events.
Chad is getting almost as good as Joe Robinson at making excuses...
By Robert DeWitt Senior Writer
Make changes such as adding inlets or realigning pipes in neighborhoods that have problems.
Chad Christian says we are having "Excessive" rain events.
Chad is getting almost as good as Joe Robinson at making excuses...
Engineer lists plans to thwart flooding
Dusty Compton | Tuscaloosa News
8th Ave. in Tuscaloosa was flooded by the torrential rain in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Friday, June 25, 2010. Urban flooding often has its roots in development. Rain runs rapidly off asphalt, concrete and rooftops as opposed to soaking into the ground and being slowed on its way to drainage basins by vegetation.
Published: Monday, August 16, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 11:25 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 11:25 p.m.
TUSCALOOSA | Urban flooding often has its roots in development. Rain runs rapidly off asphalt, concrete and rooftops as opposed to soaking into the ground and being slowed on its way to drainage basins by vegetation.
Engineer To-Do List
Inspect storm water retention systems at developments in the area where flooding has been reported.Make changes such as adding inlets or realigning pipes in neighborhoods that have problems.
So after the city's recent flooding problems, fingers have been pointing at the Woodlands of Tuscaloosa, the new apartment complex on Hargrove Road built in what had previously been an open pasture. Serious flooding in nearby neighborhoods sprang up after the development neared completion.
But Chad Christian, the city's storm drainage engineer, said he believes most of the flooding was due to extraordinarily large rain events. And he points to flooding in areas with no new development, saying much of the flooding from recent storms occurred in a drainage basin that flows through the Cedar Crest subdivision.
“If you look at that drainage basin for any new development to point a finger at, you just don't see it,” Christian said.
But enough questions have been raised about the Woodlands project that the city issued a conditional certificate of occupancy. The city called for some changes to the complex's storm drainage system and put other conditions on the development.
Most of the focus will be on keeping the water from overflowing Hargrove Road, Christian said, since the overflow not only impedes traffic, but it also causes the water to flow into the houses and yards downstream as it attempts to get back into the stream.
“If we can keep it out of Hargrove Road, we don't have the issues on the south side of Hargrove Road,” he said.
Flooding has also occurred upstream from the apartment complex in the Carriage Lane and St. Charles subdivisions and in drainage basins that are unrelated to the development. In some areas that flooded, the water simply did not flow to or through the Woodlands, Christian said. In all, 81 homes have reported some flood damage, said Robin Edgeworth, the city's contact person for flood damage.
The Woodlands is not the only development in the area. University Mall, Midtown Village, Home Depot and Target all have large rooftops and asphalt parking lots.
All of those developments have storm water retention systems. Christian said that to his knowledge, those are all functioning as they should, and he plans to make certain of that.
“I have on my to-do list to check all of those systems to make sure they're functioning properly,” he said. “The one at Target is above ground, and you can inspect it visually.”
Christian has inspected the retention system below Home Depot, which has pipes large enough for a man to stand in. They hold large amounts of water and lead to two 16-inch pipes. The large pipes hold water as it is gradually released through smaller pipes.
“I've got plans on all of those except maybe the mall, due to its age,” Christian said. “To be thorough, we have to go back and review them.”
He said he isn't sure how the retention system for the 30-year-old mall works.
Aronov Realty, the mall's owner, referred inquiries about its water retention system to mall manager Roger Gregg, who could not be reached for comment.
Christian said he has seen no indication of anything amiss with the retention systems at any of the major established developments. Most evidence points to huge rain events that overwhelmed the drainage system.
“The Highlands is one of the oldest subdivisions in the city,” Christian said. “Two hundred feet from there, we had five feet of water in McFarland Boulevard.”
That drainage basin runs back through Alberta, and there has been no recent development in that area.
On July 26, houses flooded in Southern Gardens, Lynnwood Park, Kennedy Park and Candlelight Terrace, subdivisions north of University Mall. In Alberta, Arlington Square Apartments suffered damage to 14 units. None of the water that goes through that area comes from major new developments, Christian said.
The city has had four major rain events this summer, on May 20, June 15, June 25 and July 26. At least three — May 20, June 15 and July 26 — may have been extraordinary.
On May 20, the Emergency Management Agency rain gauge at Kaulton in southwest Tuscaloosa recorded 2.44 inches of rain, which fell within a very short period. At times that day, rain fell at a rate of 5.24 inches an hour. On June 15, the total was 2.14 inches, and at one point, rain fell at a rate of 7.89 inches an hour.
The most intense rain fell on July 26, when 2.40 inches of rain fell at a rate of 8.23 inches an hour at one point. Data indicates the May 20 and July 26 storms were between 50- and 100-year one-hour rain events, Christian said.
He noted that the rain gauge was not located in the areas that flooded, so the rainfall could have been greater there. Some indications are that more rain, up to 4 inches in some cases, fell in east Tuscaloosa.
After the July 26 storm, Christian measured a debris line on McFarland Boulevard that indicated the water was 59 inches deep at that point, 1 inch short of 5 feet. The water swamped a car and a fire truck.
One common feature in most areas is that witnesses say the water disappeared almost as soon as the rain stopped. Christian said that indicates that the sudden rush of rain overwhelmed inlets and pipes.
Mayor Walt Maddox inspected some of the flooded areas.
“The majority of the cases we're seeing, the rainfall exceeded the drainage basin's ability to handle it,” Maddox said.
He said some improvements can be made that will help the situation.
Most of the improvements are simple, Christian said, such as adding another inlet in a neighborhood or realigning a pipe so that it flows into a ditch with the water flow, instead of against it.
“You can do some really inexpensive things to help your existing infrastructure function better,” Christian said. “Ideally, city forces could do most, if not all, of them.”
But he said the drainage system can't be constructed to handle the flow from the most extraordinary rain events, likening it to building Tuscaloosa's roads to handle all of the traffic on a University of Alabama game day.
“The taxpayers just can't afford it,” Christian said.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
To:
EPA Region 4
Mr. Jim Giattina,
Director, Water Division
Mr. Giattina,
I am sending this complaint to you for dissemination since you signed the Administrative Order dated 05/04/10, now in violation.
The order gave Jamestown Villas (JTV) 30 days to meet certain requirements
The inspection report was dated 12/08/09. This was what the site looked like then.
(previous e-mail)
This is the site on 01/17/10
And these are from yesterday 08/09/10
BMP violations exist throughout the development. Silt fences that had holes and deficiencies during the 12/08/09 inspection still exist today. Conditions have in fact grown worse.
No attempt has been made to mitigate offsite impacts or remove sediment from the receiving stream. The lake below JTV known as Whitley Lake is still filling in with every rain event due to the large amount of soil loss at JTV. The fold plane and wetlands that used to exist along Stone Creek are now covered with sediment from JTV. BMP attempts are littered throughout the Stone Creek bank covering brush piles. Large holes in the fabric and poorly placed material has been discharging sediment since it was installed. Now that it is rotted away and buried in sediment it is doing nothing at all.
The sediment in the head of the lake now extends well above the surface as seen in this comparison.
09/17/09
08/07/10
Jamestown Villas has not only allowed the conditions to degrade onsite and surrounding slopes but now is also filling in land outside the permit boundaries. The two houses next to Jamestown Villas along 6th street allowed Burns to fill their land to facilitate his development with the understanding that Burns was going to culvert the stream and fill the entire valley. While I can appreciate their wanting their land filled, there was nothing in the city plan or the approved ADEM plan for such fills outside the permit boundaries. Now he has left them with the burden of repairing their newly created and unwanted slopes on their property.
(The property owners land ends where the red pole is, all to the right is off the ADEM and city permitted area and filled by Burns)
Burns has also undertaken a landfill operation across the street from the site behind a house located there. It is rumored that he intends to fill both valleys offsite of the ADEM and city approved permitted area. Concrete debris hauled in by Burns was used along with plastic pipe to create an overflow from the new fill. These offsite fills are not permitted and need immediate attention.
Dirt piles throughout the site are not stabilized and are eroding badly. Burns has been warned before about this.
Slopes throughout the development exceed the 3:1 grade cited in the plan and by Joe Robinson, City of Tuscaloosa Engineer. These steep grades are covered in grass that died last year in many places. The grades overlooking Stone Creek were measured at 3:2+. It actually measured 26 inches rise in 36 inches, over twice the permitted slopes. They are eroding in places into badly failing BMPs that haven’t been repaired / replaced since the EPA inspection on 12/08/09. It is my belief that the slopes are too steep to ever maintain over time. The back fill was done over trees, stumps, limbs, and other degradable material making them unstable. Chad Christian, of the city erosion control department said in 09/09 that the woody debris would have to be removed. To date it remains rotting under slopes of 3:1.5 up to over 3:2.
The entire back side of the development along the Stone Creek / Whitley property corner flows into Stone Creek with no retention pond. Slopes in that area are eroding badly and flowing into the creek. Grass on these slopes is dead and sparse where it is present at all. Attempted BMPs along the Stone Creek banks are useless at this time. The tree debris was piled directly in the flood plane for Stone Creek then covered with fabric that was never secured in the ground. Silt laden water has been escaping for the entire length of the property that slopes into the creek.
All drainage from the Vassie Drive entrance flow to culverts that empty directly into Stone Creek as approved by City plan. No retention ponds are in use here. The slopes on both sides of the Vassie entrance are eroded and flowing into failing BMPs.
The overall conditions of the Jamestown Villas has not improved since the inspection or subsequent EPA Administrative Order. Burns made a half measured attempt to get the woody debris out of the creek as ordered but much of the debris was allowed to was downstream and is not in the wetland. I spoke with inspector Don Joe today and was told that Burns had submitted the necessary paperwork to EPA. Those two are the only two points in the Administrative Order that I can see have been fulfilled. We respectfully ask EPA to take more drastic measures to bring this developer into compliance at all due haste. It is obvious from the deteriorating conditions that neither the city inspectors or ADEM have been diligent in their inspections. We respectfully ask for Mr. Don Joe to return for a personal inspection.
Respectfully,
John L. Wathen
Hurricane Creekkeeper,
Friends of Hurricane Creek
Members of
WATERKEEPER Alliance
http://www.waterkeeper.org
Who has the authority to say someone else
is not being a good steward of the environment?
Anyone who notices.
EPA Region 4
Mr. Jim Giattina,
Director, Water Division
Mr. Giattina,
I am sending this complaint to you for dissemination since you signed the Administrative Order dated 05/04/10, now in violation.
The order gave Jamestown Villas (JTV) 30 days to meet certain requirements
The inspection report was dated 12/08/09. This was what the site looked like then.
(previous e-mail)
This is the site on 01/17/10
And these are from yesterday 08/09/10
BMP violations exist throughout the development. Silt fences that had holes and deficiencies during the 12/08/09 inspection still exist today. Conditions have in fact grown worse.
No attempt has been made to mitigate offsite impacts or remove sediment from the receiving stream. The lake below JTV known as Whitley Lake is still filling in with every rain event due to the large amount of soil loss at JTV. The fold plane and wetlands that used to exist along Stone Creek are now covered with sediment from JTV. BMP attempts are littered throughout the Stone Creek bank covering brush piles. Large holes in the fabric and poorly placed material has been discharging sediment since it was installed. Now that it is rotted away and buried in sediment it is doing nothing at all.
A new drop inlet was installed but did not hold. It is badly underscored now and leaning. To fix it Burns filled it with concrete debris.
The sediment in the head of the lake now extends well above the surface as seen in this comparison.
09/17/09
08/07/10
Jamestown Villas has not only allowed the conditions to degrade onsite and surrounding slopes but now is also filling in land outside the permit boundaries. The two houses next to Jamestown Villas along 6th street allowed Burns to fill their land to facilitate his development with the understanding that Burns was going to culvert the stream and fill the entire valley. While I can appreciate their wanting their land filled, there was nothing in the city plan or the approved ADEM plan for such fills outside the permit boundaries. Now he has left them with the burden of repairing their newly created and unwanted slopes on their property.
(The property owners land ends where the red pole is, all to the right is off the ADEM and city permitted area and filled by Burns)
Burns has also undertaken a landfill operation across the street from the site behind a house located there. It is rumored that he intends to fill both valleys offsite of the ADEM and city approved permitted area. Concrete debris hauled in by Burns was used along with plastic pipe to create an overflow from the new fill. These offsite fills are not permitted and need immediate attention.
Dirt piles throughout the site are not stabilized and are eroding badly. Burns has been warned before about this.
Slopes throughout the development exceed the 3:1 grade cited in the plan and by Joe Robinson, City of Tuscaloosa Engineer. These steep grades are covered in grass that died last year in many places. The grades overlooking Stone Creek were measured at 3:2+. It actually measured 26 inches rise in 36 inches, over twice the permitted slopes. They are eroding in places into badly failing BMPs that haven’t been repaired / replaced since the EPA inspection on 12/08/09. It is my belief that the slopes are too steep to ever maintain over time. The back fill was done over trees, stumps, limbs, and other degradable material making them unstable. Chad Christian, of the city erosion control department said in 09/09 that the woody debris would have to be removed. To date it remains rotting under slopes of 3:1.5 up to over 3:2.
The entire back side of the development along the Stone Creek / Whitley property corner flows into Stone Creek with no retention pond. Slopes in that area are eroding badly and flowing into the creek. Grass on these slopes is dead and sparse where it is present at all. Attempted BMPs along the Stone Creek banks are useless at this time. The tree debris was piled directly in the flood plane for Stone Creek then covered with fabric that was never secured in the ground. Silt laden water has been escaping for the entire length of the property that slopes into the creek.
All drainage from the Vassie Drive entrance flow to culverts that empty directly into Stone Creek as approved by City plan. No retention ponds are in use here. The slopes on both sides of the Vassie entrance are eroded and flowing into failing BMPs.
The overall conditions of the Jamestown Villas has not improved since the inspection or subsequent EPA Administrative Order. Burns made a half measured attempt to get the woody debris out of the creek as ordered but much of the debris was allowed to was downstream and is not in the wetland. I spoke with inspector Don Joe today and was told that Burns had submitted the necessary paperwork to EPA. Those two are the only two points in the Administrative Order that I can see have been fulfilled. We respectfully ask EPA to take more drastic measures to bring this developer into compliance at all due haste. It is obvious from the deteriorating conditions that neither the city inspectors or ADEM have been diligent in their inspections. We respectfully ask for Mr. Don Joe to return for a personal inspection.
Respectfully,
John L. Wathen
Hurricane Creekkeeper,
Friends of Hurricane Creek
Members of
WATERKEEPER Alliance
http://www.waterkeeper.org
Who has the authority to say someone else
is not being a good steward of the environment?
Anyone who notices.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Woodlands Flooding, not and Act of God
Joe Robinson made the statement below. He is referring to the rain on the 26th. What about the other 3 flooding events that were NOT excessive rain?
"We cannot design for the really heavy rain events," Robinson said, "just like we can't design McFarland Boulevard to handle (University of Alabama football) game-day traffic. Sometimes, you're just going to have that flooding regardless." (Tuscaloosa News)
Joe also said:"Joe Robinson, head of the Office of the City Engineer, said his office has documented three occasions of flooding on Hargrove Road in the past three months. He said he thinks they're all linked to the Woodlands development. Until the development was built, Robinson said the last time he recalled flooding across Hargrove Road near Snow Hinton Park was in 1979." (Tuscaloosa News)
"Frederick, in 1979, dumped heavy rainfall across much of the eastern United States: 8 to 12 inches"
4 floods in 4 months is just BAD PLANNING!
While Maddox and others have expressed concern about the effect The Woodlands has had on the Hargrove Road drainage basin — concerns that have kept the city from issuing a certificate of occupancy for the 350-unit complex — they take issue with the claim that poor city oversight allowed the problem. (Tuscaloosa News)
The mayor and council have "taken issue" with almost everything I have ever said. You decide who is right. Do you really want this to continue? Tell the city you want a watershed management expert on the planners and or council and an independent wetland and stream assessment. (Not from a local engineer who caters to developers) We have paved far too much of our headwater streams for profit while not protecting downstream residents. Change politics or change politicians (That's my opinion.)
Residents struggle with flood recovery
Residents struggle with flood recovery
Dusty Compton | Tuscaloosa News
Betty Jones walks around fans in the kitchen of her home on Sierra Gardens Drive on Tuesday. All of Jones’ carpet and flooring had to be removed because of water damage. Her home is not covered by flood insurance and was originally deemed not in a flood plain. Jones and several neighbors in the Ashbrook subdivision have had their homes flooded recently by rain, all since construction of The Woodlands apartment complex.
Published: Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 11:36 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 11:36 p.m.
TUSCALOOSA | It's been a week since flash flooding damaged Betty Jones' home.
FLOOD DAMAGE HOTLINE
City officials on Tuesday announced efforts to obtain federal financial aid for flood victims. Part of the aid requirements is a total of $5.8 million in damage and a large number of damaged homes. For more information, or to report flood damage caused by recent rain storms, call the city's non-emergency hotline at 311.Related Links:
The 72-year-old retiree said she still cries when she thinks of the damage caused by the rush of water that flooded Sierra Gardens Drive and rose inside the house she's lived in for 16 years.
“It came all the way up to the top of my front doorstep,” she said as she walked over a stripped concrete slab floor littered with furniture and belongings.
Industrial fans line the inside of
her house as well as that of her neighbor, Pat Formby. They are among six to eight residents in the Ashbrook subdivision off Veterans Memorial Parkway whose garden homes were damaged by stormwater during the July 26 downpour.
And while neighbors, relatives and fellow churchgoers have pitched in to help the residents — one is even allowing them to live rent-free in his nearby vacant home — they say they're still overwhelmed by the cost of repairing what's been destroyed.
Jones said pleas for help to city leaders have, so far, gone unheeded. City officials said Tuesday that the Office of the City Attorney is still reviewing the flood damage claims to determine if the elements of city liability are present, adding that it's possible the city could be liable for some claims and not for others.
Their insurance companies won't help because they say the damage came from water that originated outside the homes and isn't covered under their homeowners insurance.
“I've been told that when it's a flood, they do nothing,” Formby said. “None of us had flood insurance because we're not in a flood zone.”
City Hall has said city leaders are in “recovery mode” and that the top priorities are finding the cause of the July 26 damage and a solution.
Mayor Walt Maddox said he is meeting with various departments almost daily to find answers.
While areas of Tuscaloosa — most notably, the area of Hargrove Road near Snow Hinton Park and the new apartment complex The Woodlands of Tuscaloosa — have flooded four times since May, the July 26 storm may have been the most damaging.
“According to information we've gathered, we had 4.2 inches of rain in less than an hour — that was the average,” Maddox said. “This appears to be more severe than the other three incidents before this.”
Much of the attention on the city's recent flooding issues has centered on The Woodlands, but those in the Ashbrook subdivision said they aren't certain that the new development is to blame.
Formby said water had come close to entering their homes but never had until the July 26 rainstorm. In fact, after heavy rains in May, she called the Office of the City Engineer to alert city officials and ask for help.
She said workers came and looked, but did not perform any major work, as far as she can tell.
“If they had done something when we called in May,” Formby said, “this would not have happened.”
Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.
City identifies 16 new flood-prone areas
Joe Robinson made the statement below. He is referring to the rain on the 26th. What about the other 3 flooding events that were NOT excessive rain?
“We cannot design for the really heavy rain events,” Robinson said, “just like we can't design McFarland Boulevard to handle (University of Alabama football) game-day traffic.
“Sometimes, you're just going to have that flooding regardless.”
City identifies 16 new flood-prone areas
Dusty Compton | Tuscaloosa News
Anne McNeff sits among stacked furniture and bare concrete floors in the home of Betty Jones on Sierra Gardens Dr. in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010. All of Jones carpet and flooring had to be removed due to the water and her home is not covered by flood insurance and was originally deemed a "safe-zone" and not in a flood plane. Jones, along with several of her neighbors in the Ashbrook subdivision, have had their homes flooded by recent rain and all since the construction of The Woodlands apartment complex. McNeff also had her garage flooded.
Published: Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 11:30 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 11:30 p.m.
In 2006, the city of Tuscaloosa embarked on an ambitious, multimillion-dollar program to overhaul the city's stormwater drainage system.
Related Links:
Called “Noah's Ark,” the program focused on 13 sites across the city where flooding had become a problem. City leaders said at the time that the plan was to correct problems in these areas to curb flooding throughout the rest of the city.
The city has committed $22 million to the program and expanded it to include projects in six other flood-prone areas. Thirteen of the 19 projects have been completed or nearly completed, according to the Office of the City Engineer.
But they may be only the beginning.
A rainstorm on July 26 dumped massive amounts of water across the region, so much that between 15 and 20 more sites across the city have seen floodwaters cover streets and damage homes. In some places, the water reached a depth of 4 feet.
“We've had flooding where we've not seen flooding before,” said Mayor Walt Maddox.
In the days after the rain, Maddox initiated the city's incident response plan and appointed Robin Edgeworth, the legal affairs administrator for the Office of the City Attorney, and Assistant Chief John Brook of the Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Service as commanders.
Their role was to coordinate the gathering of information about the various flood-hit areas and maintain an organized log of responses.
On Tuesday, Edgeworth updated the City Council's Projects Committee on the response effort's current progress. She said that among these findings, the city engineer's office had identified at least 16 new flood-prone areas “that require continued assessment, evaluation and possible improvements.”
Maddox also has hinted that correcting the new problem spots could require a similar, Noah's Ark-style approach, in particular at the homes and areas across Hargrove Road from The Woodlands of Tuscaloosa, a large, new apartment complex that some believe is causing the new flood problems in that part of the city.
“We're taking a systematic approach to this issue,” the mayor said. “The flooding from (July 26) demonstrated a lot of issues in our drainage system that we need to evaluate.”
If additional large drainage projects are needed, city leaders are likely to use the success of the Noah's Ark program as a reason they need to continue such projects.
The 13 Noah's Ark drainage improvement projects completed so far have eliminated flooding problems for “tens of thousands” of residents, according to the city engineer's office.
“I think one of the most telling things is, we didn't really have many flooding problems at all in the Noah's Ark areas with the latest rainfall events,” said City Engineer Joe Robinson. “The flooding has been in areas other than the Noah's Ark areas.”
Of the areas that saw heavy flooding during the July 26 storm, most, if not all, were outside the Noah's Ark project zones.
But the idea of investing millions of additional dollars to correct new drainage problems is not welcome to all.
John Wathen, a local environmentalist who has long criticized the city's approach to stormwater control, blamed the need for Noah's Ark on the city's previous bad decisions.
“With Noah's Ark, we are spending millions to fix flood problems that (are) the result of bad planning,” Wathen said. “In my opinion, it has in no way fixed the problem. With Noah's Ark, we've sent accelerated runoff further downstream ... (and) pushed the flooding problems outside the city's jurisdictions, where the people have no voice.”
Wathen, who heads Friends of Hurricane Creek and is creekkeeper for the environmentally sensitive waterway, said the Hargrove Road problems are directly attributable to the construction of The Woodlands.
He also blames city officials for approving the runoff and stormwater control plans designed by the developers.
“It's time to change politics,” Wathen said. “Or it's time to change politicians who are rubber-stamping these projects that are detrimental to our communities.”
While Maddox and others have expressed concern about the effect The Woodlands has had on the Hargrove Road drainage basin — concerns that have kept the city from issuing a certificate of occupancy for the 350-unit complex — they take issue with the claim that poor city oversight allowed the problem.
For now, Robinson is blaming the rain. He said the city's most modern stormwater drainage systems are designed to handle a 25-year level flood. The July 26 storm fell between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's standards for a 50- to 100-year flood.
“We cannot design for the really heavy rain events,” Robinson said, “just like we can't design McFarland Boulevard to handle (University of Alabama football) game-day traffic.
“Sometimes, you're just going to have that flooding regardless.”
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