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Local News

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Citizens: Ditch cleaning could reduce flooding
Scrambler Marie's Breakfast Bistro & Lunch
By J. STEVEN DILLON

STAFF WRITER

When it comes to fixing flooding, Carl Ray believes it's the little things, like cleaning out ditches and creeks, that can make the biggest difference.

Ray, who has lived at 520 Davis St. since 1969, was not flooded last August by Howard Run Ditch, which runs just east of his home.

Some of his neighbors, however, were not so lucky. Several are still in the process of rebuilding, but others have moved on.

Ray said the flooding has gotten progressively worse over the past four decades, as Howard Run has become overgrown and filled with debris.

While some property owners keep the ditch banks clean along their property, much of the waterway, which cuts through numerous neighborhoods before dumping into the Blanchard River near Broad Avenue, is overgrown with weeds, trees and bushes.

Logjams and debris are common. An old television is partially submerged between Davis and College streets.

In another location, not far from Ray's home, tree branches jut out across a bridge and into the street. There's no sidewalk there, but it would be impassable if there was.

Around the corner at the Morey Avenue bridge, the bottom of Howard Run is littered with metal fence posts, bricks, oil containers and pop cans.

"Someone needs to clean it up," Ray said Wednesday. "I've lived here since 1969, and it's never been touched to my knowledge. That's just too long."

Some others in the flood-prone neighborhood would also like to see crews at least do an annual sweep of the ditch.

Bill Lawrence, 518 College St., was forced to vacate his residence for three months after the August flood, but has returned.

He said he loves his "waterfront" property, which borders Howard Run on the south, but believes the ditch, like all ditches, creeks and rivers that run through Findlay, needs to be periodically cleaned.

Lawrence contends Findlay has simply "outgrown the Blanchard River" and is having flooding problems, in part, because it has ignored the Blanchard and other creeks and streams that flow into it.

"If you have a river or a creek and you don't take care of it, it's not going to work the way it should," he said.

"I think if you clean the river, and clean the creeks and ditches, it would help a lot of people," he said.

Harry Gallagher, 305 Swing Ave., said flooding on his property has gotten worse since the University of Findlay leveled an area north of Howard Run for a practice football field, and added parking lots in the area.

"You've got to give the water someplace to go," he said. "We have to stop building where we shouldn't be building."

Gallagher isn't sure how much of an impact cleaning Howard Run would have on future flooding, but believes it wouldn't hurt.

"I think you've got to do more to keep it flowing," he said. "The quicker it gets to the Blanchard the better."

City Service Director Bruce Hardy said Wednesday the city doesn't get involved in ditch cleanup or maintenance, and said people with ditch questions are referred to the county engineer's office.

County Engineer Steve Wilson said people call "all the time" with ditch problems, but said the county generally only gets involved when property owners file a petition to have a ditch cleaned.

Such projects first have to be approved by the Hancock County Commissioners, and property owners living in the affected watershed are assessed fees based on the amount of property they own.

Some of the fees are also used to fund future maintenance of the ditch or creek.

Ditch and creek cleanups are uncommon, especially within the city limits. Only Lye Creek and Rush Creek have been approved for maintenance over the years, according to Wilson.

The commissioners recently turned down a project that would have cleaned out Dalzell Ditch, a project first proposed in the mid-1990s.

Ray said he knows Howard Run Ditch probably won't be a priority either, but thinks it — and all ditches that run through the city — should be in light of recent flooding.

If nothing else, he said, inmates at the county jail could be used to do the work.

"It's pretty much like they (ditches) are forgotten," he said. "No one wants to do anything about them."

Contact staff writer J. Steven Dillon at:

419-427-8423

Send an e-mail to Steve Dillon

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2 Comments

Latest comments listed first.
Roy Brim wrote:
TableTen@aol.com
“ It is nice to have a well kept waterfront property, but it does more harm than good for the flooding issues. I can understand the cleanup of the trash or the fines for dumping. The cleaning of the debri enables the water flow which causes the water levels to rise quickly as to being absorbed into the ground. This has been the problem since the draining of the Black Swamp to suite the property owners imediate control desires. Everyone want the water out of their area's too quickly. I've lived next to the Howard Run for 20 years and have noticed the levels rise and fall faster as the years have passed. Along with this obervation I've notice the increased number of large drainage tiles into Howard Run. This enables flash flooding and flushing/cleaning of the debri along the banks more often. One final note that alot of the local people don't understand is that the weather we have been experiencing is not the norm but the exception (100 year flood). ”
Thursday, July 31, 2008 9:40:35 PM
Phyllis Dennison wrote:
cleaning out of debris in creeks, etc..
“ I have recently been thinking that this would be a good time for folks to be cleaning the ditches, creeks, runs, and even the river. The water level is pretty low now. I thought I read something about a program being established to hire people to clean the river. Is that happening, or has it been stopped for some reason as seems to happen so often?

I agree that helping them to flow freely is essential to the wellbeing of many more than just the adjacent homeowners. If the utility companies have the right to cut down trees or trim them so much they look horrible for the sake of the welfare of the general public, why can't the city or county also have the right to clean ditches for the welfare of the general public? Is it because the utility companies can afford to hire men to do that, and the city/county can't? Why do we always have to be trying to repair the damage after it's happened, rather than be proactive and try prevent some of these things from happening? ”
Thursday, July 31, 2008 10:06:31 AM
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