Findlay Flood Research Paper

Flooding In Findlay Ohio Being a member of the Findlay OH community it has come to my attention how much damage rain and water can do. While our city has tried many different options such as sand bags. Built 3 reservoirs, and stopped building new houses in flood zones it just seems like none of them work. The problem is that Findlay is getting more rain than the Blanchard River can hold water, which is making the city of Findlay flood. In my opinion we have a couple of choices of ways to get around ruining our homes and lives, which would be corralling the rain to different location, creating more reservoirs, and probably the best solution, building floodwalls. As a community we need to look at all our options and come up with a plan. The
“The solution to corralling all of this rain that happens periodically is to build an earthbound levee while diverting Eagle and Lye Creeks. The flood proposal of 1962 suggested exactly these measures when it was submitted to the City Council. The proposal was even voted in by the council and sent to Congress in October of 1963.”(Fuller, para.9). Fuller went on to say “The earth levee proposed in 1962 was to be built near the reservoir. The levee was to stand 3 to 4 feet higher than the level of the 1913 flood. The levee would be able to hold water running at 32,000 cubic feet per second. This is the best solution for taking care of the rain as the levee would keep the city from filling with water should another major flood occur.”(para. 12). Then Fuller added, “Diverting Eagle and Lye Creeks would begin to the south of Findlay, taking Eagle Creek to the east where it would meet up with Lye Creek. The channel would then turn north and be able to hold water running at 8,500 cubic feet per second. A weir would be constructed downstream from Eagle Creek allowing for a gated conduit in the levee barrier. A second gate would be placed where Eagle Creek merges with the Blanchard River. The gates would allow for run off to flow into the river.”(para. 13). This is a very logical solution because most of the equiptment is already in place, it is a costly
Instead, floodwalls are the best possible solution to the flooding in Findlay Oh. A flood wall (or floodwall) is a primarily vertical artificial barrier designed to temporarily contain the waters of a river or other waterway which may rise to unusual levels during seasonal or extreme weather events. Flood walls are mainly used on locations where space is scarce, such as cities or where building levees or dikes would interfere with other interests, such as existing buildings, historical architecture or commercial exploitation of embankments. While flood wall will be costly they will be the most effective and only putting the in places where they are most needed. To be as effective as the Findlay community needs them to be Joy Brown explains in her article “Public Hears Findlay Flood control Ideas” that, “Hancock County Engineer Steve Wilson said there is also potential for retention areas, like reservoirs, that would hold water south of a diversion channel .In the city, officials envision mostly flood walls from Bright Road west to the Norfolk Southern Railroad bridge that is west of North Main Street. (See map, page A8). Five earthen levees are also suggested for that stretch, the largest of them on the south riverbank south of the Findlay Country Club. Four levees would be west of