Lawrence County might receive U.

Friday, March 03, 2000

Lawrence County might receive U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assistance in determining why recent years’ flooding has been more damaging than expected.

The county commission asked Corps officials to attend Thursday’s meeting to address Ohio River lock and dam procedures and polices of debris removal on its tributaries.

Commissioners had theorized last week that slow release of water from the dams had backed up water into Symmes Creek and others.

Coupled with restrictions on landowner dredging of the creeks, that backwater could create floods of undue proportion during heavy rains, commissioner Paul Herrell said.

"It’s my opinion the water can’t get away from us," said Herrell who lives alongside Symmes Creek at Aid.

Farmers have always counted on at least one big rain each year similar to the Feb. 19 rain, but flooding has never been that bad.

Commission president Bruce Trent agreed, adding that Symmes Creek rose almost as fast and filled almost as full as it did during the March 1997 flood.

"Whatever controls are available to (the river), we just want to make sure they’re not causative factors to flooding in Lawrence County," Trent said.

Steve Wright of the Corps told commissioners that lock and dam operators try to maintain the same river level – at an elevation of 515 feet above sea level – year round.

"When you enter into a high water situation, you open the gates to try to get back at the level but at a certain point it’s like those dams are not even there," Wright said.

Several feet before the river crested in mid-February, the river was spilling over dams at Gallipolis and Greenup, Ky., and gates were open, he said.

Corps hydrologists and engineers who also attended Thursday’s meeting blamed rainfall north of Lawrence County for Symmes Creek’s high water.

At the river’s Feb. 21 crest 2.5 inches above flood stage in Huntington, W.Va., the backwater reached as far inland as the Ohio 243 bridge at Getaway, they said.

Days before, the backwater reached only halfway between Chesapeake and Getaway, meaning that any flooding upstream of that point occurred because of excessive rainfall in the upper end of the Symmes Creek drainage basin.

But Arabia farmer Bob Taylor said there is a problem somewhere when water from mid-February’s rain caused the creek to overflow into his fields for four days – a situation that has occurred only during large floods like that of 1997.

"I’m not here to point fingers, but we want to know what’s going on," Taylor said. "I, too, have noticed that the floods have gotten consistently worse over the years."

Taylor and Herrell said that above normal sediment in Symmes Creek and other creeks might also be a culprit.

Ed Goodno, a Corps of Engineers planner, said the agency can spend federal money on a feasibility study of flood control, which is a major function of the Corps.

If there is a feasible project or solution, then the Corps could enter into a cooperative agreement, seek grant money or help the county find other grant monies, Goodno said.

The Corps can also ease permit rules related to dredging creeks, he said.

But there are EPA regulations and local floodplain permits that county landowners will have to consider, too, commissioners said.

The Corps will report back to commissioners on potential solutions to Symmes Creek flooding, including the feasibility study and possible creek sediment removal plans.

In other action Thursday, commissioners:

– Approved resolutions to reduce speed limits on County Road 12 and County Road 70, after county engineer David Lynd reported that state transportation officials indicated those revisions might be approved.

State officials also confirmed that the speed limits on county roads 7C and 7E were reduced to 45 miles per hour.

– Announced they would attend a March 15 meeting of the Just in Time Committee to promote a regional West Virginia airport.

The commission also will study a request to donate money to the cause to promote the airport because such a facility could spur local economic development.

The county will contact the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation. And the matter was referred to the county prosecutor for a legal opinion.

– Made a motion to seek a left turning light at Ohio 775 and Irene Road, a county road, to ease traffic congestion due to the state’s Paddy Creek Bridge replacement project.

– Heard a request from county emergency management agency deputy director Larry Jewell for agency radios. Under a grant program, the county would have to pay a 50 percent match of $26,000 for the system. The request was tabled for one week.

– Awarded construction contracts for renovation of the Lawrence County Board of Elections office: General construction to Meade Construction for $163,393; electrical to McDaniels Electric for $23,987 and HVAC to Central Heating and Air for $24,954.