Residents of Dakota Glen in the Broken Arrow Subdivision may see their lawns ripped up this fall and construction trucks and backhoes taking over near their properties, but the hope is the work will result in a solution to ongoing flooding problems.
For several years, 12 to 20 homes have been impacted by water backing up in yards and street flooding caused by sewer overflows. In a presentation to the City Council last week, Wade Moore of Chicago-based Montgomery, Watson and Harza Engineering, said they studied the area and believe the property behind the homes was not properly graded. The idea was for a 10-inch pipe to carry off water in a typical rain and that a swale would carry larger amounts of water away from the homes and into a detention pond. The swale, however, was not graded properly, according to Moore.
Rather than fix the grading on the property, which would be more disruptive and costly, Moore suggested replacing the 10-inch pipe with a 36-inch pipe that could handle more water.He said they also could provide stubs to the homes where residents could connect sump pumps at their own expense if desired.
The plan could cost between $160,000 and $240,000, Moore said.
Mayor Frank Mitchell said the council may consider at another time if someone involved in the initial project should be held responsible for the problem.
The project could begin as early as September.
