City leaders debate flood prevention

Web posted September 3, 2000

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By Heidi Coryell
Staff Writer

The movers and shakers of Augusta are talking about flooding.

Commissioners speak of the costs incurred by their constituents.

Public works engineers discuss ways to improve the retention and detention of rainwater in an effort to contain creeks and streams to their respective basins when hard weather hits.

And city planners talk about the future and what rules will be necessary to avoid continued and worsened flooding in developed areas.

Serious discussions about recurring flood damage have been under way since June 20, when several inches of rain fell in less than an hour, causing severe damage to homes and businesses surrounding creek basins countywide.

But all that talk may soon turn to action - plans are in the works to revise local building codes. Officials are looking to preempt development that exacerbates flooding by implementing more stringent zoning ordinances.

``We see a continued rise in our creeks without any reasoning for it in the books,'' Augusta Commissioner Andy Cheek said. ``We need to come down and be as restrictive or more restrictive as other communities, because now we're looking at (millions of dollars) in repairs. Making minor changes, I don't think it's going to do it for us.''

Last week, planning officials began outlining recommendations for a new, more stringent set of development guidelines for the city.

Some of the suggestions made to commissioners by Planning and Zoning Executive Director George Patty include prohibiting mass clearings of trees in flood-prone areas, using computer technology to determine what effect construction in floodplains may have on the watersheds of surrounding communities and requiring an additional foot of space under houses in the 100-year flood plain.

``I think these are changes that are necessary,'' Mr. Patty told commissioners. ``I think they would preclude any development in the flood plain if you adopt them.''

A planning panel of engineers, builders and developers that advises the Planing and Zoning Commission is expected to form a subcommittee in coming weeks that will make formal recommendations on these proposed ordinances and others.

Some of the other recommendations by Mr. Patty include:

Prohibiting the use of fill dirt to raise the finished-floor elevation.

Prohibiting the location of individual sewage treatment facilities in any flood plain unless the system is ``flood-proofed.''

Creating more stringent building codes for areas with steeply sloped terrain.

Improving the upkeep and maintenance of private and public retention facilities, such as keeping detention ponds and river beds clear of debris and growth.

The Public Works Department also is talking about investing more time and effort into studying the city's basins.

``We'll be able to predict what, by adding another subdivision, the contribution is going to have on that basin,'' said Drew Goins, assistant director for public works. ``Basin studies would be able to model the storm events.''

New studies also could show where modifications are needed in existing detention ponds. Changes may need to be made that would cause a detention pond to hold water back for a longer period of time before allowing it to escape downstream, lessening flooding impact.

``It's a complicated thing, and we can't assure that nobody's ever going to get flooded out again,'' Mr. Goins said. ``These are some things we can look at doing.''

Reach Heidi Coryell at (706) 823-3215.