Stormwater Options Discussed

Some Eaglewood residents spent last Thanksgiving bailing water out of their basements and wading through lakes in their front yards.

As the rainy season grows closer, they can almost hear the groundwater beneath their homes beginning to rise.

After a year of working with the county to solve their stormwater and flooding problems, they are anxious for answers.

Neighborhood representatives met with county commissioners Tuesday to review five flood-reducing options, and how they will be funded.

“We’re just five weeks away from the date of the big flood we had last year,” said resident Tom Lynch, urging action.

Utilities Director Bruce Rawls suggested installing a pump in the detention pond drywell as a short-term solution this year.

It will, however, do little more than remove excess groundwater from the detention pond and cost up to $30,000.

“It could provide short-term relief before winter,” said Rawls. However, the county would need to find additional land where the water could be pumped.

Residents are eager for answers, said Lynch. But they also don’t want to foot a hefty bill for flooding problems they say belong to the county.

Some Eaglewood residents are also suggesting the county buy the houses that become uninhabitable because of flooding and overflowing drainfields and septics.

Commissioners John Roskelley and Kate McCaslin said that’s not an option.

We could buy maybe 10 houses for the (cost of a complete stormwater system),” said McCaslin.

Roskelley said buying unlivable houses would set an expensive precedent for the county.

Eaglewood representatives were planning to meet with the rest of their neighborhood last night to talk about the options suggested by the county and next steps.

, DataTimes