Money flows for drainage projects

By By Mitch Freeman Madison County Record
The list of Madison's drainage projects was recently reviewed to make sure those projects that eliminate home flooding are adequately funded.
According to Somers, many of the local drainage problems are related to water that drains from Rainbow Mountain. Drainage from the mountain finds its way to the Tennessee River via a network of small, unnamed tributaries to Indian Creek, Bradford Creek and Knox Creek.
A summary of all funded drainage projects follows.
* What's known as Crunk ditch is actually a tributary that collects water drainage from Rainbow Mountain and carries it to Indian Creek The project is about a mile-long stretch of drainage that runs through Stoneridge subdivision along the east side of Bradford Farm subdivision and north of Rainbow Ridge subdivision near Nance Road. According to Somers, concrete has been used to prevent erosion along portions of the ditch, but other portions have nothing to prevent what Somers describes as severe erosion.
Somers plans to restore the flood-prone drainage ditch to a natural condition that uses a series of pools, twists and turns to control water flow. The project is set at $200,000.
* The Maplewood drainage project involves installation of an additional drainage system capable of draining water that collects on Redoak, Maplewood and Glenwood Streets in the Maplewood subdivision. Somers said Maplewood is an older subdivision and adequate drainage was not provided when the subdivision was built. Engineering design work is in progress and contingent upon securing easements. Construction could begin late this summer.
The Maplewood project is estimated at $250,000 and is expected to take four to six months to complete, according to Somers.
* The engineering department had expected to open bids on July 8 for construction related to the Heatherwood drainage project, but that date will slip. Somers said she met with the eight residents in effort to obtain easements. The plan is to lay drainage pipe under those residents' front yards, but they told Somers they prefer not to move forward with such action. The option would be to place drainage under the streets, which would cost the city more money. As a result of residents' concerns, the project is on hold pending a study to understand cost implications to put drainage under the roadway. When a decision has been made as to where the drainage pipe will be installed, the project will proceed.
Somers describes the area north of Eastview and west of Slaughter Road in Heatherwood subdivision as a "very serious flooding condition."
To resolve the flooding problem, Somers plans to install a 1,000-foot long culvert that is 4[Po1]-feet tall and 8-feet wide along Southwood Drive. Drainage from the east side of Rainbow Mountain will be collected and routed to a tributary that empties into Indian Creek.
Somers expects the Heatherwood project to cost about $400,000 and about six months of construction work.
* Engineers are trying to determine appropriate action to remedy drainage problems south of Telluride. Somers said drainage must be routed from the Telluride area to a drainage ditch north of Mill Road. The drainage ditch on the north side of Mill drains to another ditch on the south side of Mill, which Somers said is "life threatening" because of its 6-foot depth. Some $350,000 has been allocated for this project.
* The drainage problems along Cardinal Avenue south of Old Madison Pike and just west of Shelton Road are the result of years spent trying to speed up drainage flow in the area, according to Somers. The result has been severe drainage ditch erosion, which Somers proposes to resolve by replacing the drainage ditch with drainage pipe. The plan includes work to slow the water down in a natural way where the water will exit the drainage pipe. Pools and zigzags will be put in place to facilitate natural drainage. Somers has $100,000 budgeted for this project. In a move to save money, this project will be done in-house rather than contracted out, she said. The project will begin as soon as city employees can get started.
* Plans are in place to solve drainage problems with a Mahan ditch south of Eastview and north of Cherry Road. The solution involves conversion of the Mahan ditch to a concrete drainage ditch. The U.S. Corps of Engineers must approve the plan to concrete the ditch before construction can begin. The project has a $100,000 budget.
* Current drainage along Brows Ferry Road between Park Meadow and Holly Spring will be replaced with an underground pipe. The pipe will provide drainage for a shallow, grass ditch that will run above the piping. Drainage inlets every 300 to 400 feet will allow water that drains into the shallow ditch to pass to the more substantial drainage pipe hidden underground. The budget includes $80,000 for this project and construction bids are scheduled for opening July 14, Somers said.
* Some $160,000 has been allocated to replace the open ditch, 36-inch and dual 24-inch drainage pipes that run under Highway 72 near Hughes Road. A 600-foot long box culvert, 8-feet wide and 4-feet tall will be installed. The project includes installation of a 42-inch pipe under Gooch Lane. Somers said this project is very significant because it will facilitate commercial development in the immediate area. Once easement acquisition has been completed, construction can begin.
* As a result of "very serious" house flooding in the Homestead subdivision, Somers said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is conducting a study to determine how to prevent future flooding in the area. The early May flooding qualified this particular area for FEMA disaster relief. The problem is related to the drainage ditch that runs along Medicine Bend Drive. Once the appropriate action is determined, $200,000 has been allocated to remedy the problem.
* The culvert that runs under Portal Lane east of Stave Mill and west of Shelton Road will be increased in size to eliminate house flooding in that area. Similar action will be taken where drainage runs under Doc Murphy Road east of County Line Road near Liberty Elementary School. Almost $70,000 has been budgeted to resolve drainage issues in these two areas. Somers said these are high value and relatively low cost projects that can be done in-house. The Portal Lane project is in progress.
[Po1]Use numerals when referring to dimensions