Cincinnati has no long-term fix for East Side flooding
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Local businesses like Carl's Deli in Hyde Park experienced major flooding Friday. The city's plans for a future remedy to the ongoing problem remain unclear. Photo: Courtesy of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council
A malfunctioning floodgate, overwhelmed sewers and extraordinary rainfall combined to worsen Cincinnati's flooding last week — but local officials have no solution yet for preventing future flooding like it.
Why it matters: East Side residents and business owners have lived through multiple major floods, including a similar event in 2016, and urge the city to take action.
- In the meantime, city leaders are exploring financial assistance for those recovering from the flooding.
What they're saying: City Manager Sheryl Long acknowledged Thursday many residents remain frustrated.
- "I understand that for some people our best effort isn't good enough, at least not yet," she said.
- "While we cannot control the weather, we can control our response to natural disasters."
🔎 Zoom in: The city's investigation found the Madison Road floodgate at Duck Creek failed to automatically close during the July 17 storm because of a mechanical malfunction.
- Long said routine maintenance had been performed, pushing back on allegations the floodgate had been neglected.
- Even with a functioning floodgate, officials said the 5-6 inches of rain that fell in about an hour still would have caused widespread flooding.
Flashback: A previous study found replacing the Madison Road bridge wasn't feasible because of the cost and the impacts it would have on surrounding roads and private property, said Water Works deputy director Jason Fleming.
The other side: "The city cannot expect a business district to keep returning to 'business as usual' without a long-term plan," said Kristen Folzenlogen, owner of Hyde Park stationery store Poeme.
- "Residents and businesses all over Cincinnati are paying attention to where these events are occurring and how often, and it will negatively impact our neighborhood's growth. Who's going to want to move or run their business here?"
By the numbers: The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati has received over 1,500 flooding and sewer backup reports.
- Crews have completed over 900 property investigations.
The bottom line: One piece of Cincinnati's flood protection failed, but officials don't yet know how to keep the next major storm from flooding East Side neighborhoods again.