Our Flooded City
As you can tell from this picture ("I found on the internet of coarse") We have been dealing with flooding for a long time. After the city spent a ridiculous amount of money we have learned this is a "drainage" issue. But my question is -- the flood wall. I realize that it's not related to our flooding issues recently. But I was curious to know has the James River ever flooded that high to where the Flood Wall has protected our city? I realize too that the flood wall was built for preventive reasons - for the "just in case". I have seen the River rise many times over my 10 years here in Richmond - but never high enough that it reached the flood wall (and that's good!).
posted by Eric at
9:34 AM
2 Comments:
If you go down to the flood wall across the street from Bottoms Up there are some markers on the wall from famous historic floods. Some of them are a good twenty feet above street level. So yeah, flood wall, good stuff.
By
Anonymous, at 2:06 PM
I put my two cents in BEFORE the last flood.
Thanks,
Scott
On Wednesday, August 02, 2006, at 12:07PM, Scott wrote:
I am thinking of Shockoe Bottom...
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/environmentalis_3.php#perma
Environmentalist Solutions to NYC's Sewage Problems
August 2, 2006 07:00 AM - Rose Fox, New York City
Prompted by the recent outage that left thousands of Queens residents without power for nearly a week, the Gotham Gazette has an in-depth feature this week on New York City's aging infrastructure and what can, should, and most likely will (or won't) be done to improve it. They note that untreated sewage ends up in New York's rivers every time it rains because the treatment systems can't handle the sudden influx of rainwater. While most suggested solutions focus on pipes and tanks, groups like Riverkeeper and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are recommending ways to prevent rainwater from going into sewers in the first place, such as planting green roofs and street trees that will soak up the water and put it to good use. Environmentally sound solutions would almost certainly save the city money (it costs less to plant trees than to dig up old pipes and lay new ones, and encouraging building owners to greenroof costs hardly anything), so it's hard to understand why officials seem to be dragging their feet. Riverkeeper and the NRDC are considering legal action to push the city towards sustainable solutions if necessary. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. ::The Aging City at ::Gotham Gazette via ::Gothamist
1
Comment
Here in Minneapolis we have a city ordinance that requires property owners to pay a stormwater management fee based on how much runoff there is from their property. They use the fee to manage and expand the stormwater sewer which is seperate from the sanitary sewers here. Property owners have the opportunity to reduce the amount they pay by creating rain gardens and other stormwater management features. Because of this we have very few overflows from our sewage systems.
Posted by: Greg | August 2, 2006 10:09 AM | flag a problem
Will this Happen Again?
Retailers and utility companies cast a cautiously optimistic eye at hurricane season.
file photo/Richmond.com
Gaston swamped Downtown Richmond in August of '04. Kate Harmon
Richmond.com
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
It's hurricane season again - restaurants and businesses are reopened, floodwalls have been tested, warning systems installed, but is Richmond really prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws its way?
The Census Bureau calculated 1.5 million people in Virginia live in an at-risk coastal area. The city of Richmond itself has 17 identified flood areas which, during Hurricane Isabel and Tropical Storm Gaston, caused too much strain on the drainage system and led to flooding downtown.
This June, the city's Department of Public Works cleaned and tested the floodwalls as part of the Shockoe Bottom Improvements, Maintenance and Investments to better prepare the city in case of another natural disaster.
"Overall, it earned an 'A+' in testing and review," said Britt Drewes, a spokesperson for Public Works, adding that there were only minor adjustments to be made.
Drewes said that with leaves and trash piling up at the flood doors, the city has to come in twice a year and clean it out. Also, with the general wear and tear that the floodwalls suffer, the rails that the doors slide on move out of place and had to be readjusted, which is normal, she said.
Local flood protection, which includes the floodwall, has a total length of 17,327 feet and protects 750 acres, yet in September 2003 and August 2004, when Isabel and Gaston came through, it was not enough. In the past, the highest flood the city has experienced was 36 feet high, Drewes said. At its highest points, the floodwall is 40 feet tall.
The floodwall was constructed by the city in the early '90s for $134 million for the purpose of keeping floodwaters out of Richmond's nightlife and entertainment district. After Gaston, millions of dollars were dedicated to reconstruction. Then-governor Mark Warner called for plans of expanded drainage systems and emergency notifications. The Richmond City Council allotted $1.9 million to be spent on projects to start by 2006 in order to better prepare Richmond for storms.
Since then, Drewes said some of the money has been spent updating the standard operating system, as well as testing and repairing the gates. Drewes said the city conducted a draining evaluation of Shockoe Bottom, which called for an audible flash flood warning system now in place. The city is in the process of enlarging the throats of the drainage basins in the Bottom and plans to complete this by the end of the fiscal year.
Views sought on cleaning James
DEQ to hold a session on how to address the bacteria in the river
BY REX SPRINGSTON
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Aug 2, 2006
At a meeting in Richmond tonight, people can offer their views on a multiyear effort getting under way to clean up fecal bacteria in the James River.
The state Department of Environmental Quality will hold the session at 7 in the Forum Room of Virginia Commonwealth University's Student Commons at 907 Floyd Ave.
DEQ officials will talk about their efforts to make a plan for cleaning up bacteria in the James in Richmond and in Chesterfield and Henrico counties. The plan is to be completed by May 1, 2008.
"We'd like to get any suggestions from people about what might be the causes of the problems or how we might solve them," DEQ spokesman Bill Hayden said yesterday.
Fecal bacteria have fouled the James for years. For that reason, the river is deemed unfit for swimming, although many people do swim, wade and paddle in it.
Swallowing water contaminated with bacteria can cause upset stomachs and diarrhea.
The bacteria may be coming from the waste of wildlife, dogs or upriver cattle. Also, waste from Richmond's sewer system occasionally overflows into the James near downtown during rains. The city is working to correct that.
The DEQ is preparing cleanup plans for pollutants in waters across Virginia. Plans for cleaning the James of mercury and toxic chemicals called PCBs will come later.
After the bacteria cleanup plan is completed, the state will probably need several years to put the plan in action. Measures could include planting grasses or trees along the river's edge to prevent waste from washing in, Hayden said.
Also, some of the effort could be educational -- for example, explaining the need to pick up after dogs.
The cleanup plan also will apply to several of the James' local tributaries, including Reedy Creek in Richmond; Falling Creek in Chesterfield County; Powhite Creek in Chesterfield and Richmond; Almond Creek in Henrico County; Gillies Creek in Richmond and Henrico; and Bernards Creek in Powhatan County and Chesterfield.
People who want to comment on the plan but can't attend the meeting can contact the DEQ by mail, e-mail or fax.
Contact staff writer Rex Springston at rspringston@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6453.
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Anonymous, at 5:17 PM
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