City, builders to meet on Mecca Avenue flooding

Homeowners around Mecca and Peerless Avenue are still getting swamped with floodwaters as heavy rains and a lack of good runoff controls have created rivers of muddy water in backyards and sidewalks.

Homewood Building, Engineering and Zoning Department head Wyatt Pugh said Friday that city officials, including Ward 1 City Councilors, will be meeting with home builders on Mecca Avenue over the weekend about temporary solutions to their portion of the flooding problem.

Problems with stormwater flooding in the area first came up at City Council in the fall, and an unusually wet winter has caused multiple flooding events in January. The city promised to clear leaves and debris from storm drains on a weekly basis beginning in January, attributing most of the flooding cause to overburdened drains.

However, resident Jennifer Schuble said her property flooded once again this week, causing worse damage than before. 

"I have mud water to the height of my crawl space door and my HVAC is swimming. My neighbor is in the same situation," Schuble said via email on Jan. 23.

Part of the problem, Pugh said, is that runoff in the area, especially from sites of homes under construction, is not guided or retained adequately, causing running water in the streets and backed up drains. He said he has talked with some engineers about temporary relief measures to change the grading of properties and add breaks or other runoff measures.

It's "one of those things that needs to be done," he said.

The city representatives will meet with Willow Homes and Twin Construction, both of which are at work on Mecca Avenue properties, about the need to better retain stormwater "because shedding it straight off is overwhelming our storm system," Pugh said.

He added that Willow Homes will also have to get an engineer to study its lots for runoff solutions before the city will grant any additional building permits.

While the city looks at temporary solutions, officials are waiting for the results of a stormwater study of the area by Walter Schoel Engineering, which will lay out long-term options.