City Officials Eye Solutions for Ongoing Flood Issues

Over the last several months, Avon officials have been working on various plans, measures and ordinance revisions in an ongoing attempt to stem the city’s flooding and surcharge problems that – according to some Avon residents – only seem to be worsening. 

On one end, Avon is dealing with an aging sewer, ditch and culvert infrastructure that wasn’t designed to handle the influx of housing developments and the increased water flow from cities like North Ridgeville, City Engineer Robert Knopf said. 

On the other end, the city experienced record amounts of rainfall this past winter and spring, which caused the and backflow thousands of gallons of water, and, in some cases, raw sewage, onto the properties and into the homes of nearby residents. 

Resident Steve Balmert, who lives west of Wagner ditch on the south side of French Creek Road, says the city’s ditches need to be better maintained, to reduce the risk of flooding. 

“The city was able to give me some relief by clearing out part of Wagner ditch, but the water level remains too high as the water north of French Creek (Road) has nowhere to go,” he said. "Frankly, I think the flooding issue has been somewhat neglected over the years, and now it’s becoming more and more of a problem.” 

French Creek Road resident Andra Juristy agreed, and said the flooding problems in Avon are the worst she’s seen in her 25 years of living here. 

Given the complaints and the calls to action, Knopf stressed that solving the flooding problem will take time, coordination, careful planning and a good deal of money. 

In regard to the city’s ditch and culvert flow issues, he’s currently working with the Ohio Streams Preservation Society, Army Corps of Engineers and the City Council Service Committee to determine the most effective ways of renovating the ditches. 

The devised solutions will fall under Avon’s Master Sewer Plan and will be presented to Avon’s City Council Finance Committee, which will determine how much of the repairs can be budgeted and undertaken this winter. 

Knopf is also eying revisions to the Comprehensive Storm Water Management ordinance that would work to address the need for additional flow capacity from North Ridgeville, and ensure that post-development water flow is lower than pre-development water flow in new neighborhoods. 

As for the overflow problems associated with the French Creek interceptor, the city engineer is working with Hatch Mott MacDonald which, later this month, will present preliminary findings to city officials on steps to resolve the surcharge issue.