FLOOD03407 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I I' I I I I I I I , I , --I I I I I II ~I I and its tributary streams. One of the wastewater treatment plants regularly becomes overloaded during heavy rains because of stormwater inflow and infiltration into the system. As a result, there is a serious by-pass condition at the plant during heavy rains, causing pollution of a creek receiving the by-passed flows. This has created a health and odor problem in the area and killed all life in the creek. Ultimately, the Ohio River receives the pollutants. Economic Losses Due to accelerating urbanization, many areas that were seldom subjected to seri- ous stormwater flooding in past decades are now experiencing such problems. As a result, property values in these areas are depressed. Older sections of many urban areas have blighted and real property tax revenues have diminished because of flood- ing damages and associated water pollution. To cope with such problems, Wichita, Kansas made plans in the mid 1970's to use about $1 million of community develop- ment funds for stormwater drainage improvements in a blighted section of the City. By making these improvements, they intended to upgrade the area and, thereby, in- crease the real property tax base in the future. Unfortunately, local residents often do not acknowledge stormwater problems, nor give support to proposed improvement projects for which they will have to pro- vide the financing. As an example, several parts of Oklahoma City have serious flooding problems during intense rainstorms. It is necessary to rescue and evac- uate residents from these areas at times. There has been extensive damage to many homes. In 1974, 260 houses were flooded in one section of Oklahoma City from a local rainstorm. Several years prior to this, the residents of this same area de- feated a referendum for a proposed stormwater improvement project. They said the area did not have flood problems. Usually, only the lower-lying land areas are flood-damaged and the land at higher elevations is spared. But, because people are sometimes permitted to build struc- tures in natural drainageways, even land and structures in hilly areas suffer flood damages when flows are restricted by such construction. This has happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1974, Tulsa had three intense rainstorms. During one, on June 8th, about 800 houses were flooded and many persons were rescued by boat. Many of the houses were valued in the $50,000 to $100,000 price range. Total damage in only two of the watersheds was estimated at $15 million by the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Even homes in some of the hilly areas were flooded because structures in the drainage- ways restricted the outflow of the runoff. This exhibits an indifference toward potential consequences and a disregard for the welfare of the general public by some members of our society. Very few municipalities maintain records of damages, losses and costs related to stormwater runoff problems. Accordingly, it is usually impossible to compare the costs of damages with the costs of making needed improvements and operating effective stormwater management programs. In Charlotte, North Carolina, the City Engineer's office initiated a program of monitoring the cost of floodwater damages in two areas within the City. Each includes 12 houses that are subjected to recur- ring damages. The costs were determined over a 12-month period. A report of the cost studies was submitted to the city council together with the estimated costs to correct the problems. Plans were being made to conduct similar investigations .in other areas of the City as a part of the planning process. During an interview in one city, an official mentioned that the prospective home buyers who telephone his office to check on potential flooding problems are those who are buying in the higher lying areas. Those who plan to purchase property in 27