Problem Solver: Neighborhood Flooding

By Dianne Derby
Anchor
Published: September 30, 2008

Imagine if a big rainstorm came through your neighborhood and left you in 4 feet of water. That’s what neighbors in one upstate community say they’ve had to deal with for several years. So when they asked us for help we asked the county what could be done. Dianne Derby finds them the help they need in this 7 On Your Side Problem Solver.

“The creek that causes our problem is right down here in between these two houses,“ said Tom Rivera as he walked past the creek in his neighborhood.

Rivera says when a drenching rain hit his Boiling Springs neighborhood on Notchwoods Drive back in 2005 he and his neighbors faced flooded streets and homes.
“It was about 2 o’clock in the morning when the fire department came down and had to pull our neighbors out,“ said Rivera.

He says the creek by his home overflows because the culvert isn’t big enough to handle alot of water.

“The water rose to a point where it was just below the windowsills on this house and the same way on this one,“ said Rivera as he pointed to the homes across from his.

When we asked Spartanburg County to help they told us they couldn’t get money from the federal or local government to fund this kind of construction project.

“The engineers have looked at it and determined the culvert is about half the size it needs to be to meet county ordinance,“ said Spartanburg County Engineer Ron Kirby.

Weeks later funding from the county was approved.
“We’ve rearranged some of our priorities,“ said Kirby. “This was not a priority until alot of the growth in the Boiling Springs area has put a lot of new pavement in and it causes some flash flood issues.“
The county says in the last few weeks since we first contacted them they were able to secure $300,000 in funding. They’ll replace the culvert with a bridge that will allow more water to pass through and hopefully put an end to the problem.

For now Mr. Rivera says he’ll be standing high up on his porch watching and waiting for the project to begin.

“I’ll just keep a lookout on the high ground standby with some coffee for the neighbors if they get flooded out,“ said Rivera.

The county says construction on the project is set to begin sometime this winter as long as the funding continues to be available and no emergencies come up. News Channel 7 will continue to follow the story and let you know what happens.