By Tom Roussey
October 2, 2012 - 11:04 pm
D.C.
officials announced Tuesday that a short-term plan to help residents of a
flood-prone Northwest neighborhood would cost more than $20 million.
Residents
of the Bloomingdale neighborhood saw four major floods in two months this
summer, including three major floods in nine days in July.
``It`s
like the Potomac River,`` 52-year-old Bloomingdale resident Inez Wilson said of
the flooding.
Her
home flooded all four times, and she says she`s still dealing with mold, mildew
and dirt in her basement.
Many
residents also saw sewage back up into their basements each time it flooded.
``We`ve
got folks in our neighborhood who, every time it rains, are terrified that
sewage is going to back up into their homes again,`` said Bloomingdale Civic
Association President Teri Janine Quinn.
The
proposal being pushed by D.C. Councilman Vincent Orange and three of his
colleagues would use public money to buy backflow preventers and sandbags for
houses that the city determines needs them.
The
backflow preventers would cost $10,000 each to buy and install.
D.C. Water is working on a major sewer overhaul that it says will be a long-term solution for the problems in Bloomingdale. But it won`t be done until sometime in the 2020s; residents say that`s simply not fast enough.
``There
needs to be a short-term band-aid,`` said Bloomingdale resident Jess Rimington.
``I`d like to see my neighborhood stop flooding every time there`s a heavy rain.``
D.C.
Council would have to vote before the money could be spent. A report from the
district budget office warns there could be complications in coming up with the
funds.
Also,
some residents say although this sounds like a good start, it`s unlikely to be
a 100 percent effective solution to the flooding issues.
``That
sewage has got to go somewhere, so we need to figure out what`s going to happen
if we all get backflow preventers,`` Janine Quinn said. ``Are we going to have
pipes bursting?``
1 comment:
As discussed on the blog before the BFPs are a nice start and a help with sewage, but storm water runoff from roofs into the rear downspout of homes will not have a place for water to expel into the system. It will simply fill the pipes and back up into any drainage exits like toilets and floor drains and will subsequently flood basements. But at least it won't be sewage water, so that's a start I guess. I think most are aware of this, but BFPs aren't a foolproof solution. That needs to be part of this discussion.
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