Officials say it will ease flooding on northern end

For many years, flooding and drainage have been a major concern in Ironton’s northern end and, on Thursday, city officials gathered for the beginning of a project they said will bring long-awaited relief.

A groundbreaking took place on Orchard Street for the North Ironton Storm and Paving Project, one of the largest infrastructure projects in the city’s history.

“Flooding is an issue residents here are all too familiar with,” Mayor Sam Cramblit II said of the neighborhood.

The project consists of the installation of storm sewer lines and the reconstruction of existing roads servicing private homes in the north end of the city.

Approximately 15,000 feet of storm sewer pipe will be installed, along with new asphalt streets and concrete curbs. Stormwater runoff will be collected in catch basins and curb inlets and then be directed into a new stormwater pump station to be constructed off North Fourth Street.

The proposed pump station located in an open field near N. Fourth Street, will have a 50,000 gallon per minute pumping capacity to discharge collected stormwater runoff into Storms Creek during rain events.

The station will be located on Capt. Dean Gilfillan Way, a new street, named in honor of a city resident and Medal of Honor recipient from World War I.

Cramblit said the project has been in the works since February, noting that its origins began when a woman on Thomas Street called him and asked him to come to her home and sit on the porch and watch what happened when a large vehicle passed.

Cramblit said the deteriorated street, caused by stormwater sitting on the roadway, made the entire house shake as the vehicle passed.

Cramblit said he then approached the engineer about repaving the street, but was told it could be possible to do a larger project, making use of grant funding and loans.

“So I proposed it to council and they funded it,” he said.

Cramblit said the $4 million grant for the project comes from the Ohio Department of Environmental Protection, while its original design came from the state Department of Development, using American Rescue Plan Act funding.

ARPA, a COVID-19 relief package, was passed in 2021 by congressional Democrats and signed into law by President Joe Biden.

The loan for the project will be paid through multiple city funds — flood, storm, sewer and planning, Cramblit said.

The mayor said the roadway and stormwater pump station projects will relieve flooding conditions that impact the vicinity of Batham Lane, Florence Avenue, Thomas Street, Charlotte Street, Karen Street, Jeannine Street, Phillip Street, Kevin Street, Waldo Drive and Cliff Street and will benefit 125 acres and 372 homes.

It will impact thousands of residents,” Cramblit said. “This is a big win for everyone.”

The Orchard Street Sanitary Lift Station project consists of replacement of the existing lift station with a suction lift drywell. The existing wet well will remain in service for the new lift station, but there will be easier access to components of the lift station to allow for better operation and maintenance. The lift station currently discharges into the gravity system in South Ironton.

Cramblit said this will mean the northern and southern ends of the city will no longer have to compete for drainage flow.
He said this project benefits 265 acres and 705 homes.

Cramblit said the projects are expected to take a year to complete.