The Sumner County Commissioners are knee-deep in an issue affecting two residential areas and several homeowners in the immediate area in the county’s northeastern corner — high, standing waters which have not receded in over a month’s time.
Sumner County has received record amounts of rainfall this year and several acres of land, as well as county homes, have been under water since Memorial Day weekend.
The Commissioners had scheduled a meeting Monday morning to allow the township, county and state agencies involved with the flooding issues to address their concerns.
With around 40 in attendance, an upstairs courtroom held the crowd at standing room only for an hour and a half, during which the Commissioners heard reports from department heads and allowed questions and comments from the audience.
The Commission was in agreement an area-wide Comprehensive Drainage Study needs to be completed. According to estimates given at the meeting, the flooding could become a multi-million dollar problem which will likely end with lift-stations needed for some housing additions as well as other drainage solutions in the northeast area of the County.
The Commissioners still need to determine how the study will be paid for, which could include specials assessed in the housing developments and other agreements with area home and property owners.
Flooding Area
Sumner County Planning and Zoning Director Jon Bristor said the area most affected by the flooding is just south of the county line between Oliver Road and the Paradise Valley housing addition, located just a half mile from Hydraulic, with flooding stretching three miles south to 120th Ave.
Homes in both Paradise Valley and Humbolt’s First Addition have been affected by the flooding, as well as several homes on separate tracts of land immediately outside the housing developments.
Bristor said those housing additions were approved through the City of Mulvane, since it is within their three-mile jurisdiction.
Also in this area is the proposed site of a destination casino resort by Harrah’s Entertainment developers. Several at the meeting expressed concern a casino built at the proposed site, which now takes on water, would only cause additional flooding further south.
Bristor said he has corresponded with Mulvane city officials and will continue to work with them on the flooding issue.
Attendees said they now have acres of water rather than back yards or farm ground. Standing water is blocking roadways and has suspended some services, such as trash pick-up, in some areas.
“Obviously, it’s a pretty serious concern for a lot of people,” said Steve Warner, Belle Plaine Township trustee.
Warner described the issues he has seen in that area of the county including several areas with drainage problems. Warner was further frustrated by working from a drainage study map of the area dated from 1952, and with housing additions which do not have the drainage easements and other measures as stated in their platting maps on file with the County.
In some areas, the responsibility of maintaining and opening roads is impossible, he said, because water has washed away the road base.
“This has never happened before,” he said.
In many other areas, Warner said there are few solutions which would not have ill or unknown consequences farther south.
The area is too large and too flat to tell what has led to this problem, he said, using the example that plowing a field in a certain direction can change the water flow over a property.
“Time is certainly a culprit,” he said.
Health Concerns
The Commission has directed Laura Rettig, Sumner County Health Department director, to evaluate the health issues near these homes — several of which have been flooded or have had their septic systems and wells under water since Memorial Day weekend.
In addition to health issues arising from those water and sewer problems, many expressed concern with mosquitoes breeding in the area and the increased likeliness for West Nile virus. Homeowners said treatments to the water in their yards were being washed away with each rainfall.
“There is a health problem out there, we know that,” said Commission Chairman Garey Martin. “We want to make sure we head that off.”
Emergency Assistance
Sumner County Emergency Management Director James Fair had disappointing news for the crowd in regards to financial assistance available from emergency services.
Fair said although the county has been declared an emergency area, properties in the housing additions do not classify in the disaster category because they are not located within a flood plain and the flooding has not been caused by a levee break or other disaster. This ties the hands of federally-funded agencies FEMA and the American Red Cross, Fair said.
However, possible health issues associated with the standing water could allow the American Red Cross to provide some family assistance, including housing families for up to three days. Fair said he would also be working with the City of Mulvane and the County on options for a temporary shelter for the flood victims.
State Representatives Vince Wetta, D-Wellington, and Peter DeGraff, R-Mulvane, attended the meeting to hear from homeowners.
Wetta said he had taken several calls on the issue, although it is not in his district. He has talked with the Goverenor’s office about the situation, but said state aide would be unlikely with funding low from the Greensburg and now Chapman disasters.
DeGraaf said he would spend some time talking the issue over with Sedgwick County Commissioners and officials, since the flooding problem comes from north of the county line.
The state also had two representatives of the Kansas Department of Agriculture at the meeting, however their assistance is limited to flooding issues caused by waterways. Although they are studying the flooding problems west of Mulvane, they said most of the flooding has been caused by drainage issues which fall under local control.
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The Sumner County Commissioners are knee-deep in an issue affecting two residential areas and several homeowners in the immediate area in the county’s northeastern corner — high, standing waters which have not receded in over a month’s time.
Sumner County has received record amounts of rainfall this year and several acres of land, as well as county homes, have been under water since Memorial Day weekend.
The Commissioners had scheduled a meeting Monday morning to allow the township, county and state agencies involved with the flooding issues to address their concerns.
With around 40 in attendance, an upstairs courtroom held the crowd at standing room only for an hour and a half, during which the Commissioners heard reports from department heads and allowed questions and comments from the audience.
The Commission was in agreement an area-wide Comprehensive Drainage Study needs to be completed. According to estimates given at the meeting, the flooding could become a multi-million dollar problem which will likely end with lift-stations needed for some housing additions as well as other drainage solutions in the northeast area of the County.
The Commissioners still need to determine how the study will be paid for, which could include specials assessed in the housing developments and other agreements with area home and property owners.
Flooding Area
Sumner County Planning and Zoning Director Jon Bristor said the area most affected by the flooding is just south of the county line between Oliver Road and the Paradise Valley housing addition, located just a half mile from Hydraulic, with flooding stretching three miles south to 120th Ave.
Homes in both Paradise Valley and Humbolt’s First Addition have been affected by the flooding, as well as several homes on separate tracts of land immediately outside the housing developments.
Bristor said those housing additions were approved through the City of Mulvane, since it is within their three-mile jurisdiction.
Also in this area is the proposed site of a destination casino resort by Harrah’s Entertainment developers. Several at the meeting expressed concern a casino built at the proposed site, which now takes on water, would only cause additional flooding further south.
Bristor said he has corresponded with Mulvane city officials and will continue to work with them on the flooding issue.
Attendees said they now have acres of water rather than back yards or farm ground. Standing water is blocking roadways and has suspended some services, such as trash pick-up, in some areas.
“Obviously, it’s a pretty serious concern for a lot of people,” said Steve Warner, Belle Plaine Township trustee.
Warner described the issues he has seen in that area of the county including several areas with drainage problems. Warner was further frustrated by working from a drainage study map of the area dated from 1952, and with housing additions which do not have the drainage easements and other measures as stated in their platting maps on file with the County.
In some areas, the responsibility of maintaining and opening roads is impossible, he said, because water has washed away the road base.
“This has never happened before,” he said.
In many other areas, Warner said there are few solutions which would not have ill or unknown consequences farther south.
The area is too large and too flat to tell what has led to this problem, he said, using the example that plowing a field in a certain direction can change the water flow over a property.
“Time is certainly a culprit,” he said.
Health Concerns
The Commission has directed Laura Rettig, Sumner County Health Department director, to evaluate the health issues near these homes — several of which have been flooded or have had their septic systems and wells under water since Memorial Day weekend.
In addition to health issues arising from those water and sewer problems, many expressed concern with mosquitoes breeding in the area and the increased likeliness for West Nile virus. Homeowners said treatments to the water in their yards were being washed away with each rainfall.
“There is a health problem out there, we know that,” said Commission Chairman Garey Martin. “We want to make sure we head that off.”
Emergency Assistance
Sumner County Emergency Management Director James Fair had disappointing news for the crowd in regards to financial assistance available from emergency services.
Fair said although the county has been declared an emergency area, properties in the housing additions do not classify in the disaster category because they are not located within a flood plain and the flooding has not been caused by a levee break or other disaster. This ties the hands of federally-funded agencies FEMA and the American Red Cross, Fair said.
However, possible health issues associated with the standing water could allow the American Red Cross to provide some family assistance, including housing families for up to three days. Fair said he would also be working with the City of Mulvane and the County on options for a temporary shelter for the flood victims.
State Representatives Vince Wetta, D-Wellington, and Peter DeGraff, R-Mulvane, attended the meeting to hear from homeowners.
Wetta said he had taken several calls on the issue, although it is not in his district. He has talked with the Goverenor’s office about the situation, but said state aide would be unlikely with funding low from the Greensburg and now Chapman disasters.
DeGraaf said he would spend some time talking the issue over with Sedgwick County Commissioners and officials, since the flooding problem comes from north of the county line.
The state also had two representatives of the Kansas Department of Agriculture at the meeting, however their assistance is limited to flooding issues caused by waterways. Although they are studying the flooding problems west of Mulvane, they said most of the flooding has been caused by drainage issues which fall under local control.
