Firm working on flooding mitigation

The engineering firm of Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood is conducting land surveys in downtown Hartselle and property behind the Hartselle City Schools central office to help with Hartselle’s downtown flooding problem.

Hartselle Department of Development director Jeff Johnson said the firm is conducting the surveys to verify maps of flooding areas provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We’re just checking to see if FEMA’s maps are correct at this stage,” Johnson said. “We just want to make sure that everything is right based on the data we have about the flooding and from the surveys.”

The project includes building a three-acre retention pond between Milner, Hammitt and Georgia streets behind the Hartselle City Schools’ central office, northeast of downtown.

In August 2012, the city received approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a $325,800 project to alleviate flooding concerns in downtown Hartselle, where two streams merge underneath the downtown area. One stream runs underneath Cahoots restaurant while the other runs under Hickory Street before the two streams merge and exit near the Farmer’s Market.

During the July 4 flooding, Cahoots restaurant was flooded. The restaurant, however, was able to reopen the following Monday.

Johnson said his department is working to try to get the flooding problem resolved as soon as possible, but he isn’t optimistic that the work will be completed this year.

“It’s possible that we could get it done before next winter, but a more realistic goal for completion is next spring,” Johnson said.