CHAMPION — With heavy continuous rainfall in the past weeks, flooding has become a common issue for many communities throughout the county.
Champion officials met with several residents, mostly from Shafer Road and nearby areas, at their meeting Monday to discuss what options residents have in addressing continuous severe flooding. Parts of Shafer Road have suffered from major flooding following heavy rains, causing damage to residential properties.
Attorney Mark Finamore told residents the township is responsible for making sure the roadside ditches are clear and free of obstructions so the water does not erode away the road. One option presented to residents is a township drainage ditch petition that would be filed with the county commissioners to have a drainage system improvement to alleviate flooding problems.
Finamore said residents would need to have the county engineer survey the drainage problem and prepare a preliminary design plan for a single drainage ditch project.
The county engineer, after completing the review and preliminary plans, will certify that the drainage ditch improvement project is necessary and will benefit the petitioners.
Finamore said the county engineer will make a determination that the cost of the project does not exceed the benefit to the property owners.
He said residents would need to file a petition with the county commissioners and they can decide if the project proceeds and what the cost would be for the property owners affected.
Finamore said the commissioners would review the petition to see what percent of residents want it.
“There has to be enough interest from the residents to proceed,” Trustee Doug Emerine said.
Resident Al Hearn of Shafer Road said it is important that the road department have the needed camera equipment to check the culverts.
“They need equipment to check where the blockages are in the culverts that are filling up with water. The camera will make their jobs easier,” Hearn said.
He said he knows the flooding in his area is caused by blockage in the culvert. Residents said they are concerned with ongoing flooding on their street, especially since there has been heavy rainfall almost every day for the past week.
Some residents said they have been able to kayak in their yards because of all the high water.
Emerine said flooding in the Shafer Road and Downs Road areas has been a problem for years. He said the flooding is not in the township ditches or right-of-ways, which the township is responsible for maintaining.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Champion officials discuss ways to mitigate flooding )
Also on site :