Draft backs ponds

A regional detention plan will help mitigate Portland and Jay County flooding, engineers told Jay County Commissioners Monday.
Commissioners Faron Parr, Jim Zimmerman and Doug Inman heard from Mark Chmeliwskyj and John Speidel, of Butler Fairman and Seufert, who presented a draft of their “Upper Millers Branch Watershed Drainage Study.”
The firm was hired by commissioners in February to study the Millers Branch, a waterway that begins northeast of Portland and enters the city’s sewer system near Pearl Street that has caused problems by overloading sewer lines that then back up onto city streets, and to help develop a comprehensive drainage plan.
The plan presented Monday calls for a regional detention area that would straddle county road 100 North, west of Morton Street. The detention’s layout includes two-basins.
Its southern basin is designed as a two-stage ditch and involves the construction of a control structure and overflow wall that would hold back runoff and fill the basin.
Chmeliwskyj said the basin is designed the fill and drain within 48-hours, and requires acquiring 26 acres south of county road 100 North, which is currently in trust to Gary Gildersleeve.
Because of the basin’s proximity to Portland Municipal Airport, the ditch is recommended to be dry to prevent attracting wildlife such as geese and ducks.
The northern basin is an expansion of the current Industrial Park wet pond. The study notes that because of the wildlife hazard, the water area of the pond will not be increased. Instead, its side slopes will be flattened and extended. Additionally, the plan calls for deepening and lengthening the culvert on county road 100 North.
In the beginning of their 50-minute presentation, Speidel noted the study is still a draft because he and Chmeliwskyj wanted to hear feedback from the commissioners. All three commissioners were impressed with Monday’s report.
He also noted they are waiting to see what direction the Army Corps of Engineers takes on the local flooding issue.
The Army Corps is expected to provide a preliminary report in mid-September.
The two studies were sought after Portland went under water three times last summer, when 21.75 inches of rain fell in the city from June 1 through mid-July.
The flooding stemmed from both Millers Branch and the Salamonie River, which went over its banks multiple times last summer.
Chmeliwskyj said Millers Branch is an accessory rather than the main culprit for flooding.
“But really, it’s the river,” he said. “The Millers Branch doesn’t cause, but it certainly doesn’t help.”
Chmeliwskyj stressed the firm’s plan is meant to mitigate flooding, rather than completely shut it out.
“There’s going to be a time, regardless of how large someone makes the detention pond or original system, it’s going to get overtopped but the issue is the frequency at which it happens and the duration its going to be impacted,” he said.
Monday’s report from Chmeliwskyj and Speidel followed the same theme of their remarks in May at a local flood progress meeting, but provided more specifics. However, Monday’s draft does not provide an estimated cost of the project.
Though, the study discusses a potential costs savings opportunity, regarding a runway extension being developed at the Portland airport, which requires about 140,000 cubic yards of fill material. The proposed basin projects would net about 100,000 cubic yards of removed soil.
The airport project may be two to three years in the future, the study notes, but Chmeliwskyj said it may be possible to convince the Federal Aviation Administration to accelerate part of it.
Commissioners and county engineer Dan Watson discussed possibly beginning soil tests to show FAA suitability of soil at the site of the basin.
Commissioners also said they will reach out to Gary Gildersleeve, to see if his property can be used for the detention plan.
In other business, commissioners:
•Were informed by highway superintendent Ken Wellman that the cost of grinding a 3.5-mile portion of Como Road will be about $50,000 more than reported to commissioners at their last meeting. Wellman will seek those and other additional funds, totaling around a combined $460,000, for summer roadwork at Wednesday’s county council meeting.
•Approved three new residents for the retirement center, which now houses 25 seniors. Its occupancy limit is 27.
•Heard from Eddy Royer regarding the ditch issue discussed at last week’s drainage board meeting. Royer said he is now interested in having a survey completed for his property and requested that ditch maintenance be suspended to allow that. Commissioners said suspending the project and moving equipment would be a costly expense and indicated work would continue.