Another East Side flood brings more questions for the city
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The parking lot behind Poeme and several other businesses in Hyde Park Square. Photo: Courtesy of Kristen Folzenlogen
After another flash flood swamped Hyde Park this weekend, businesses and homeowners left cleaning up want to know why it happened.
Why it matters: The answer could shape future development in Hyde Park, Oakley and other neighborhoods where flooding keeps occurring.
State of play: Much of the attention has focused on the Duck Creek Floodgate near Madison Road, designed to keep surging creek water from spilling into nearby communities including Fairfax and Norwood.
What they're saying: Cincinnati assistant fire chief Matt Flagler said Saturday the floodgate did not close, contributing to flooding along Madison Road.
- "We're still looking into whether it should've activated or if there was a malfunction," Kevin Osborne, a spokesperson for Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW), tells Axios. His city department operates the floodgate.
- Mayor Aftab Pureval said in a statement the city will review the floodgate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and GCWW's stormwater management team.
Yes, but: The Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) says the floodgate was only one factor.
- Executive director Diana Christy called the flooding unpreventable, with heavy rain falling faster than streets, storm drains and underground infrastructure could move it.
The other side: Kristen Folzenlogen said business owners have heard those explanations before. The owner of stationery store Poeme has been in Hyde Park Square for 25 years and remembers the historic flood in 2016.
- Since then, businesses waterproofed basements, raised inventory off the floor and invested in flood mitigation.
- It did little to prevent damage this time.
- She estimates dozens of nearby businesses and homes were damaged.
Friction point: The flooding has also reignited debate over a proposed redevelopment of Hyde Park Square involving new residences, shops and underground parking garage.
- Folzenlogen and other residents worry adding more impervious (waterproof) surfaces, including pavement, could make flooding worse.
Both Greater Cincinnati Water Works and MSD play a role in reviewing development proposals.
- City Council member Mark Jeffreys said questions about both the floodgate and future development should be part of the city's review.
The last word: "The city is the only one who can fix (the situation)," Folzenlogen said.
- "I don't know where they'll get the money for it, but they have to be the problem solvers here. We can't problem-solve this for them."
Go deeper: What to do when your basement floods