posted July 23, 2008
I, and others, who live downstream from Hamilton Place have been having a flooding problem ever since the mall was built. The builders of the mall did not build in sufficient stormwater retention and regulation and some of us have been paying the price ever since. The flooding problem has cost me several thousand dollars and caused me considerable mental anguish. I was flooded again July 22.
A previous city engineer had a study made and discovered that 66 businesses in the Hamilton Place Mall area that were supposed to build stormwater retention ponds did not build them and 37 businesses that were supposed to build off-site retention ponds did not build them. He also said that some businesses only built them a fraction of the size they were supposed to be.
It would be very interesting to see who benefited from this violation of city law. I would also be interested in knowing if this problem was caused by incompetence, corruption or possibly a combination of the two.
I am aware of three different studies the city has made concerning stormwater management in this area. 1. Woolpert study $220,000 2. Frier Branch Study (10-20-97) $.??????. 3. Masbarger, Scott & May Engr. study $380,000. I believe that very few of the recommendations made in these studies were ever implemented.
I find it hard to believe that Stormwater Management would need a study to see if someone had dug a hole in the ground for water storage. The city should require anyone requesting a study to report, on a regular basis, after the study is complete, just how the city benefited from the study and what, if any, of the recommendations in the study were implemented.
I have waited 20 years for the city to fix this problem and I am still waiting. City officials have made many promises during this time that they did not keep.
Homer Goins
Chattanooga
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It amazes me that an area that has had so many issues with stormwater runoff does not require permeable pavement in construction.
Permeable paving would allow us to enhance recharging of our ground water while controlling runoff. And filter some the contaminates in water system out.
If we are serious about being a sustainable city as well as not going dry like Atlanta, adding permeable paving to our building code is a must.
R.W. Young
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My opinion of the stormwater: it's a big joke. My neighborhood floods every time it rains. I’ve had the bigwig, whom may I say is a jerk, come out and tell me that it’s my problem.
How i wish that someone would explain why we have no storm drains on any of our streets, just big concrete tiles that the water runs into after its washed all of our topsoil off.
Give me a break, you will not get any help from the city. We were in the county until the 1970's and I would like to know how to get my neighborhood back into the county. We pay double tax, stormwater fee, and God only knows what else, and do we have sidewalks? No. Do we have a drain system? No. Do we have streets wide enough for two cars or a school bus to pass on? No. The city of Chattanooga has let us down.
Connie Holdaway
Chattanooga
karolene_h@yahoo.com
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