Inadequate drains compound problem
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Melissa Insalaco and her 11-month-old daughter, Sarah, prepare to go stay at Ms. Insalaco's grandfather's house. The driveway to the Insalacos' home on Windsor Spring Road in Hephzibah was washed out, and their yard is filling with water.
JONATHAN ERNST/STAFF |
To get from his mailbox to his front door, Howard Trotter jumps on his tractor and plows across the gulf of water that now sits in his front yard.
Since a privately owned dam near his house overflowed Thursday morning, the dirt driveway connecting his Hephzibah home to the 4600 block of Windsor Spring Road has been covered by nearly 16 inches of water.
Five other homes are blocked from the road by the new pond, and none of the residents has any idea when the flooding will subside.
Other driveways were washed away completely by the moving water, and several yards became soggy pools.
As Mr. Trotter spent Friday ferrying his neighbors to the main road, he said there was nothing they could do but wait it out. ``All I can do is wait until it goes down,'' he said.
Authorities from the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department, Environmental Protection Division and Hephzibah Police Department visited the area Friday but told residents there was nothing the officials could do to stop or clean up the water.
Because the driveways and dam are private property, county and city officials were not involved with the problem, said Donald B. Atkins, chairman of the city commission.
``I know that everybody's disturbed up there, but it appears to be a civil matter,'' he said. ``If (the residents) think they've been damaged, they're going to have to enter litigation.''
Mr. Atkins said the sudden water flow happened after workers cleared away debris that had been left by beavers in the dam's overflow channels.
He said the low-lying ground of the flooded area, along with inadequate drains near the residents' houses, contributed to the problem.
The dam is owned by Jesse Carroll, Mr. Atkins said, and sits behind Jesse Carroll Memorial Funeral Home at 4694 Windsor Spring Road. Mr. Carroll did not return phone messages left for him Friday.
Louie Kitchens said this was not the first time water from the dam has flooded his yard - and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.
``We're in a mess,'' he said, ``and there's nothing we can do about it.''
Reach Vicky Eckenrode at (706) 823-3227.
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