Matthew Stewart carries his belongings from his residence on Hopi Road. The tropical storm produced flash floods throughout many parts of Augusta.TODD BENNETT/STAFF

Measures reduced flooding in some areas

Web posted September 4, 1998

By Emily Sollie
Staff Writer

Even with more than $24 million worth of improvements to Augusta's flood basins since the great washout of 1990, some areas still took a bath when Tropical Storm Earl dumped about eight inches of rain on Augusta on Thursday.

``Obviously, we have not yet assessed the situation totally, but visual observation tells me the improvements have helped significantly,'' Drew Goins, assistant director of Augusta-Richmond County Public Works, said Thursday.

``We didn't flood in certain areas that were hard hit before, but other areas had more localized flooding than before,'' he said.

Richmond County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Lovering (left) helps a wrecker service driver pull Margaret Fowler's car out of a flooded ditch near the intersection of Bungalow Road and Peach Orchard Road Thursday afternoon. The car was one of several that became stuck when drivers tried to turn around to avoid the flooded roadway.JONATHAN ERNST/STAFF

An event like Thursday's flood is an opportunity to put improvements to the test and to find out what areas still need more work, Emergency Management Agency Director Pam Tucker said.

Since 1990, when tropical storms Marco and Klaus converged over Augusta and turned nine counties into federal disaster areas, Richmond County officials have been pumping money into the Flood Mitigation Project, an effort to minimize flooding in problem areas. Projects have been completed in Raes Creek basin, Butler Creek basin, Oates Creek basin, Rocky Creek basin, Phinizy Swamp, Lake Olmstead and the Augusta Canal. Others are ongoing, and still more are planned for the future, Mr. Goins said.

More than $24 million worth of work has been completed, and another $5.9 million worth of projects are currently ongoing.

Most of the improvements -- detention ponds, channelization, drainage and ditch improvements -- have been paid for by the one-cent local sales tax, Mr. Goins said.

Officials from public works, the Emergency Management Agency, roads and bridges and possibly some other departments will meet today to assess damage and discuss where more improvements may need to be made, Mrs. Tucker said.

Public works crews videotaped areas with the most flooding Thursday, she said, and they plan to view the videotapes today to see where the problems lie.