Athens hopes study of Town Creek reduces need for flood insurance, opens areas for development [The Decatur Daily, Ala.]

Mar. 12—ATHENS — City officials hope a planned study of the creek that once caused damaging flooding in Athens will reduce the need for flood insurance and possibly open new areas for development.

The study would assess whether drainage improvements have reduced the flood plain of Town Creek, which flows through Athens, and identify any additional solutions for consideration. Officials believe the creek's reduced flooding threat may not be reflected by old flood-plain maps that the Federal Emergency Management Agency uses to determine which properties require flood insurance.

City Engineer Michael Griffin said the Engineering Department and Schoel Engineering in Huntsville will complete a hydrologic and hydraulic study for a portion of Town Creek from Elm Street to U.S. 72 in the northwestern and central part of the city.

Griffin said the last study was done in 1977, which was before FEMA's establishment in 1979.

The developers of a flood-plain model for the old study "went to the Crutcher Shopping Center and found where the flood water mark was inside the building and they used that; they do it by observation," he said. "Then they used some later software ... and that's how they developed it off that."

Water flows into Town Creek as if it were the single stream in a valley, Griffin said.

"Town Creek, as it flows through town, there's a point where all the water that falls within that basin will go to Town Creek. We're going to study that basin," he said. "We wanted to see what the effect was, and we may be able to reduce that flood plain or floodway by providing some better information to FEMA," he said.

Griffin said they will have to prove to FEMA that the city's new information is better than FEMA's existing map.

"We'll survey all of our structures, our culverts, our bridges, our pipes, etc. in that basin and we'll model it inside of a software," he said. "Then we'll provide that information to FEMA for them to review and agree or concur with us or provide comment saying, 'Hey, you guys might have missed this over here.'"

Griffin said the city will go back and forth with FEMA until the flood plain is agreed upon, resulting in a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR).

"They will put out more maps basically that will (reflect) the new floodway and flood plain," he said.

Included in the study area are 91 single-family homes, five multi-family homes, five institutional buildings and 46 individual businesses. The creek runs by Athens-Limestone Hospital, the Athens-Limestone Public Library, the Athens Farmers Market and government-owned buildings.

Griffin said the average national annual cost of flood insurance for single-family homes is $971 per home. That money, he said, goes to FEMA. Griffin said the purpose of the study is so some people will no longer needlessly pay for flood insurance.

"This impacts multiple residents, businesses; as you can tell they're required to have flood insurance," he said. "Once you're removed, that money goes back to your pocket. ... Potential business owners and residents can have more money staying in their pocket rather than being sent off to the federal government."

The Athens City Council approved the study at a meeting last month. The study will cost around $98,000 and come out of Athens' capital structure fund.

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1960s and '70s flooding

Harold Wales, council president and District 2 councilman, said the study is needed. He said he remembers several instances of flooding from the creek.

"Our library, I've seen it when it was really bad," Wales said. "It would get up in the parking lot and be almost knee deep."

Some recorded historic flooding took place in 1963, 1964, 1973 and 1977. In 1973 there were 30 people evacuated from their homes and there was a total of 50 residences and 19 businesses damaged by the flood.

A May 2, 1977, Decatur Daily article reported that "in 1973 the stream overflowed and caused water, as high as 3 feet, to enter businesses and homes. Damages were estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars." The newspaper reported that after a 1977 storm, "water was described by Athens police as 'axle deep' on Madison Street. Water was reported flowing across Browns Ferry Street, York Lane, and U.S. 72 West and Vine Street."

Griffin said the city has not had a problem with severe flooding since the city created regional detention ponds in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Two ponds are north of Elm Street and Market Street and a third is on Fifth Avenue.

"It hasn't flooded that way ever since we put the ponds to the north," Griffin said. "That's why we're doing this study so we're trying to see if we did something good. We want to reap the benefits of it instead of keep paying for insurance if we don't need it."

Griffin said the study will also give the city some guidance.

"If there's something we can do, like maybe remove an old structure to help it flow better, we can go do that," he said. "We'll have those options before we actually turn in the LOMR or we have the final say on what it's going to be. We're going to analyze it pretty carefully and if there's maintenance to be done, we need to go dig out some more of the creek, we'll do that as well."

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Opening up development

Griffin said there are large portions along the creek that are still undeveloped.

"It allows for development to occur because if you're developing in a flood plain, obviously you've got to spend a lot more money to bring a building up or waterproof it," he said. "It can open up a lot of area along the frontage of the creek."

Wales agreed and said the study could help with development.

"What we're trying to do is create more places to build homes by removing a flood plain if we can," he said.

Wales said not only is flooding a major problem, but he would like to see the creek's aesthetics improved.

"It's just weeds and mud and roots and it hinders the flow of water," he said. "I've been in so many cities where you would see a nice stream, or even a river, running through the town and they've got it with picnic tables, it's clean and the aesthetics of it is just beautiful. That's what I want to see here."

Griffin said the city plans to make aesthetic changes to the creek.

"We're trying to turn the creek more as a focus in town instead of just being a ditch through town," he said. "Got to use our natural resources and that's one of them."

Griffin said surveying for the study should start soon.

"I'm hoping to have everything wrapped up by the fall," he said. "Study done, submitted, and we have an idea of what's going to occur."

—[email protected] or 256-340-2460.

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