Options mulled on rural Dunkirk flooding (4/11/05)

There are several possible solutions to flooding of a residential area east of Dunkirk.

But at least a couple of those choices won’t be cheap. And that may be important, since those who own property in the Baker-Bantz Watershed will be footing the majority of the bill.

Jay County Commissioners, who have discussed concerns about the situation along county road 1000 West south of county road 400 South several times with area resident Dru Hall, heard a report from an engineer this morning while meeting as the county drainage board.

Larry Owen, a civil engineer from Bluffton who was retained by Jay County surveyor Brad Daniels, said that the problem of water pooling along the east side of county road 1000 West is caused by several factors — including too much water trying to get into two 14-inch tiles, and the road acting like a dam.

The solution, he said, is to find a way to get the water from the east side of the road to the west side, and to help that water move away to the west more quickly.

That could be done, Owen said, by installing a new tile — either 14- or 22-inches — across a field on the west side of county road 1000 West. A rough estimate by Owen showed that installing 2,500-feet of 14-inch tile would cost approximately $40,000, while 22-inch tile would cost about $60,000.

Another option would be to construct gently graded waterways in the farm field to the west of the row of homes to help the water move more quickly on the surface. That option could be less than $5,000, Owen said.

Under a new construction project, as this is being proposed, the drainage board would determine a cost/benefits schedule, and the property owners would be assessed a percentage of the costs accordingly.

If the drainage board moves forward with the project, notices would be sent out and a public hearing would be held before any determination is made.

“If you’re talking about $3,000 to $4,000 or $40,000, it’s a no-brainer,” said Hall, who was in attendance this morning.

The county also plans to take several steps it hopes will help alleviate the problem.

The county highway department will install a culvert pipe where a 14-inch tile crosses county road 1000 West near the home of George Smith. That should help move the water more quickly from the east to the west.

A larger driveway tube will be installed at Hall’s home to allow the water to flow south to where the new culvert will be installed.

“The more direction you can give me as to what you think will be just ... the better the chance that this (proposed project) is going to pass,” Owen told Commissioners Faron Parr, Gary Theurer and Milo Miller Jr.

Miller said he was concerned that the proposed solutions did not address a problem with standing water closer to the intersection of county roads 400 North and 1000 West, including at a lot on the southeast corner of that intersection.

Theurer was also concerned about putting more water onto farmers in the area — including Dennis Rodgers, who owns the field to the west of Hall’s home.

In another drainage matter, Jay County engineer Dan Watson asked permission to have Daniels’ crew deepen a side ditch along county road 300 North near county road 600 East. Deepening the ditch will keep water from flowing over the road, Watson said.[[In-content Ad]]