Hurricane Ike vs. River des Peres

Written by Danelle Haake Monday, February 16th, 2009 7:26 PM

Last Updated on Sunday, December 18th, 2011 8:29 PM

University City residents, City Council, and MSD representatives met on September 22, 2008, to address the flooding of September 14th caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ike. The city outlined their response to the event and announced that there was a declaration of emergency in University City.

On September 22, 2008, the City Council meeting in University City addressed the flooding of September 14th caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ike. The city outlined their response to the event and announced that there was a declaration of emergency in University City.

The city plans included a September 26 clean-up of resident homes and neighborhoods by AmeriCorps volunteers and 75 Washington University students. City Manager Julie Feier said such clean-ups will continue for the next 3 weekends. She discussed the shortage of dumpsters, work with FEMA, the efforts of the Fire and Police Departments, etc.

She also gave a brief history of the River des Peres in U. City, citing the Army Corps of Engineers assessment in 1988 and the fact that MSD has spent 12 million since then in an attempt to improve the river. The Corps of Engineers is scheduled to meet with University City next week. Options she cited were: home buyouts, water retention areas (including areas of buyouts) and flood-proofing of basements. It was noted that the citizens of Wilson Ave. strongly prefer home buyouts.

From MSD, both the Director of Operations (Jonathan Sprague) and the Director of Engineering (Brian Hoelscher) spoke. They both began by stating, rather unpopularly but honestly, that “MSD is not a disaster relief organization.”

That said, Mr. Hoelscher went on to say that this was a “100-year flood,” a disaster, and while it will happen again, it should not be considered a normal event. He emphasized often that whatever MSD did or didn’t do would not have affected the power of this rainfall. “I don’t think retention technology could have changed the outcome of this event.” He said they do want to disconnect combined storm/sewer downspouts, they do want to encourage “alternative storm water approaches,” they do want to ensure regular cleaning of storm sewers, but none of that would have affected this storm.

Citizens asked him the following questions:

• “Where did the flooding begin, in U. City or further upstream?” (He pointed out that the water comes from all over the watershed; that it probably began in northwest county.)
• “Was the path of the water affected by brush and overgrowth and sometimes even trees in the River?” (Many people believe that growth in the river is bad and causes the water to back up. A particular location in Pagedale was mentioned.)
• “Would regular cleaning of sewers have altered the outcome?” (Many people felt their sewer lines were blocked.)
• Councilman Glickert said, “This is a multi-jurisdictional problem; have you all met to discuss a possible retention pond.” (Response: “I don’t think retention technology could have changed the outcome of this event.”)

John Sprague (Director of Operations) outlined MSD’s response to the event: They knew a lot of rain was coming, by 11:00 Sunday they recognized it was serious. It took until Monday before they absorbed the full impact. They took 5,000 calls in one week, which is generally their annual number of calls.

He said financial aid is available up to $2,500 for those whose sewers can be determined to have backed up. One citizen asked how this would possibly be determined. Mr. Sprague said MSD would look at the history of the house, it’s layout, situation of basement.

Perception of Event by Neighbors

• Not enough dumpsters by far.
• 60-day notices (“you must make improvements within 60 days”) on condemned houses were rude and insensitive.
• “We have new streelights and golf courses: where’s the money for THIS?”
• Cleanliness of the creek would help.
• Why isn’t MSD more transparent?
• What kinds of legal assistance can we expect?
• In 1988, one neighbor before buying her home was told that the River des Peres flooding issue was under control. This same individual recounted that in 1994 when she was flooded out of her home, University City received money for buyouts, but only 2 came through. Her house had been flooded 6 times.
• King’s Day Care Center will probably move (for the 4th time).
• Whose problem are sewer problems?
• In a Roberts Ave. home, the hot water heater exploded from pressure on it. River had taken 2 ft. of their back yard before they bought their home; they didn’t discover this until after the sale. They repaired the side of the creek; now there are trees growing in the concrete.
• MSD information is not getting to residents. FEMA visit, free tetanus shots and services were offered at Heman Park, but no one in the flooded neighborhoods knew about them. (Phones and e-mails are out, many said.)
• Resident of Purdue wants current flood plain maps for everyone.
• A long-time home owner on Waldren refinanced 3 years ago and was required to buy flood insurance. Her home was covered, but no one made her buy it or even mentioned it when the home was purchased.
• The American Water company has been doing work in her neighborhood and left gravel all over the street that was getting into the sewers. They came to try to clean up after the storm.
• A Roscoe Electric rep. spoke and was furious: “We can’t safely inspect these homes. All the submerged electric has to be replaced. We can not tell these people, with a clear conscience, that their systems are “ok.” Who will pay for this, for them! It’s dangerous!”

In conclusion, the issue of overgrowth in the river was repeatedly brought up by residents. It’s clear that they believe that any growth in the river is bad for water flow. As a group, perhaps we should consider creating a simple, illustrated history of the River des Peres hydrology: How did the water used to flow? What happened to it as more and more structures were built. What happens to it now? This kind of educational initiative may help people understand what they are dealing with.