By PAULENE POPARAD

Porter Public Works superintendent Brenda Brueckheimer promised Tuesday to do what she can on an immediate but temporary basis to improve inadequate drainage along Waverly Road near North and South Bailly Drive.

Michele Callahan described for the Porter Stormwater Management Board how the 9 feet of water in her grandmother Catherine Sipes’ basement at 110 N. Bailly Drive proved devastating. “They lost everything again. Who’s going to pay for their house if it buckles next time?”

Callahan was neither confrontational nor disrespectful, but she begged the town to do something to redirect water away from their lowland property where a sinkhole now has developed. “What if my mom or grandmother falls in one? I have to worry about my family.”

She said her grandmother has lived there for 29 years and didn’t have water problems until after a house was built on higher ground in 1991 near them without any swales between properties. Now she fears additional homes will be built, too. Callahan said while she understands the need for housing, it can’t be approved without addressing drainage first.

She also noted that while current town officials can’t be held responsible for their predecessors’ oversights, it’s up to who’s responsible now to do what needs to be done.

Stormwater Board member Bill Cantrell told Callahan, “You’re right. There’s a terrible area out there.” It’s identified on the town’s stormwater master plan, he said, but the plan isn’t complete and doesn’t have nearly enough funding.

“She’s 100 percent right,” agreed Brueckheimer. The area floods not only in the record 15-inch rainfall over Sept. 12-14 but in a 2-inch rain event and even a 1-inch rain.

“It’s a horrendous problem,” she continued. “We have years and years of neglect out there. Do I have the staff? I’ll make the time.”

Stormwater Board president Ed Pilarski said he, too, lives in that area and it’s a mess. “From U.S. 20 to U.S. 12 from State Road 49 to Six Box Lane, the whole area needs to be addressed. When can we get to it? As soon as we can.” He asked what could be done on a temporary basis.

Brueckheimer said every drain, culvert and ditch needs to be cleaned. She pledged to walk the area with town engineer Warren Thiede and see if the water can be redirected, or if possibly installing a drywell would help Sipes. Pilarski said the board has a very small amount of money available for the work. This year drainage improvements were made along Johnson Street.

Brueckheimer noted that in its attempt to help Sipes, the town can’t make it worse for someone else.

Joab Silverglade of South Bailly Drive said floodwater washed out his driveway and filled up property he owns across the street. He said water drains from U.S. 20 and the parking lot of Splash Down Dunes water park on Waverly Road.

Thiede said a new drainage system with detention basin for the Splash Down parking lot in the last few rains helped the area quite a bit.

Brueckheimer said a major problem is that the culverts in the Waverly area are sporadic in size from 4 inches to 20 inches with bottlenecks occuring.

Elsie Maher of Ballard Drive at Waverly told the officials, “You’re doing a great job with what you have to work with.” Although her home didn’t flood, she said water flowed across her rear yard like a river, causing alarm when children were playing in it.

Earlier in the meeting Pilarski also commended Brueckheimer and the Public Works Department for their outstanding efforts during the flood. She said they received 72 calls regarding basement and street flooding. “It was one of those acts of God hopefully in my lifetime I never see again.” She said she’s still gathering data but there wasn’t a lift station, sewer pipe or manhole that wasn’t totally filled with stormwater.

Public Works employees amassed 195 hours of overtime during and immediately following the rainfall period.

Posted 9/24/2008