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Flood warning continues for Blackwater
Published Monday, February 8, 2010
Photo by Jena Passut
The boat landing at Barret's Landing submerged in water on Monday
A flood warning continues for the Blackwater River above Franklin until late Thursday night.
At 11:45 a.m. Monday, the stage was at 13.14 feet and causing minor flooding.
The National Weather Service warned that when the river reaches 12.5 feet, a portion of Virginia Route 611, Joyners Bridge Road, would become inundated. The road connects Southampton and Isle of Wight counties just north of Franklin.
Because of hardware failure, peak data was unavailable Monday from the U.S. Geological Survey, which provides information to the NWS.
Blackwater Riverkeeper Jeff Turner said he predicts the river will crest Tuesday at 14.
“Then it’s anybody’s guess depending what we get out of the next system,” he said.
According to weather.com, there’s a 100 percent chance that some snow will fall and turn into rain on Tuesday in Western Tidewater.
Turner said he hopes the skies don’t dump too much rain.
“We will have to hope it is not another 3 inches of rain, or we could have some problems with minor flooding,” he said.
Wednesday is expected to be windy and partly cloudy, but the rest of the week calls for sun and temperatures in the mid 40s.
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Comments
Posted by minkybut (Jeff Turner) on February 8, 2010 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah, and at 9:45 Monday morning the river was at 13.12 and NOAA is telling us the river will crest at 13.1 on Thursday and it is suppose to rain Tuesday? Now thats some accurate and useful information!
10 years have gone by and we still have no reliable river forecasting or anything in place to mitigate flooding.
Posted by FranklinResident (anonymous) on February 8, 2010 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Minkybut - your username gave me a good laugh this morning!
Posted by sweetwater (anonymous) on February 8, 2010 at 12:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
@ 10:45 still rising at 13.13
Posted by sweetwater (anonymous) on February 8, 2010 at 5:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
13.15 feet @ 3:45
Posted by bluefishgertie (anonymous) on February 8, 2010 at 6:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You guys sound like John Wayne and Cary Grant calling out depths on a WWII submarine. What been improved by anyone that would prevent flooding the downtown area? After ten years, and we are still threatened by flooding. Unbelievable. All that grant money for the airport, incubator, Nat Turner and nothing for flooding. Nothing like priorities.
Posted by Baffled (anonymous) on February 8, 2010 at 6:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
gertie, don't forget beautifying the gateways and the water tower and restrooms at Barrett's Landing. I thought that all those business that rebuilt downtown (which I would not have done, I don't think) had some motiviation to do so in the form of some type of protection for next time. Guess not.
Posted by Vista (anonymous) on February 8, 2010 at 8:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Uhmm this is how the City Officials deal with the prevention of the flooding...they have sand bags at City Hall that they give the business owners...I know because my brother has a business downtown and they gave him some sand bags.....and they want to bring in new businesses by changing the entrances to the city?
Posted by bluefishgertie (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
baffled, sometimes I sit here and think, then again I just sit here. In all of my 70 years, I can not recall a city government whose management style, would best be described, as catch me if you can. Others see a kick the can mentality. Since 1999, our city fathers over the last ten years have continued to play Russian Roulet with those who live and work in the downtown area. Handing out sandbags, sandbags is their solution after ten years of what? Mitigation studies? This isn't the Mississippi River.
Posted by minkybut (Jeff Turner) on February 9, 2010 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The money needed for the new stream and rain gauges is not even in hand yet. The cost of those detection devices is around $200,000 I'm told. The Chowan Basin Study is not finished. There is a lot more that the slow wheels of government has to do before there will be any actual physical attempts at fixing the flooding problem. It will lots more time also, maybe as far as 5 to 10 years.
Posted by bluefishgertie (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 12:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Damn, we do not need gauges to tell us we're knee deep in water, There, I've saved you $200k. Now, tell us what needs to be done physically to prevent flooding of the downtown area. A seawall to channel the water? Maybe removing the obstructions, so the water can move freely? Just what has ten years of government studies suggested? What I'm hearing is that there are no shovel ready improvements to be considered, is that so? Then all those taxpayer luncheons were for naught.
Posted by bluefishgertie (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 12:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Baffled, not a good move to up and quit. Stay.
Posted by MyHometown (anonymous) on February 9, 2010 at 3:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don’t know what studies have been conducted and/or the findings. I have to agree bluefishgertie that we don’t need to spend money to tell us that the water is high and anyone that has any common sense knows that when the water is high and we get rain north of here it will rise. I have heard, or read, in the past that one possible “obstruction is the bridge on the 58 bypass between Franklin and Suffolk. It makes sense. The water used to flow by all of our bridges through the surrounding low grounds. Now it is funneled through every bridge that has been built causing it to back up further into the low grounds and eventually overflowing. Add to that, development along waterways, parking lots and drainage systems and the excess water from rainstorms and melting snow doesn’t have anywhere to go. It also comes at a faster rate because of development. The low grounds we continue to destroy, for homes that are not selling, were provided as a natural filter system for slowing down runoff thus preventing the likelihood of flooding. It seems to me that if the bridges are a problem then a series of drainpipes/culverts could be placed under the bank on each side of the bridge that would expand the low grounds back to their original capacity thereby allowing for faster release of the water downstream as it did for centuries before we were here.
Posted by ccarr (anonymous) on February 10, 2010 at 7:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree my hometown! As a person who use rised on the blackwater and still live within half mile of it, I have seen the issues with the river as far as the blockage of the river first hand. It will continue to flood. It will again. Not if but when. Do not wait for local, state or federal government to assist, study or act on the flooding issue of the blackwater. Mother nature has a way of showing us who is boss and every once in awhile when we feel that we are on top of things she will let us know. The citizens of the areas that were flooded in 99 found out where we could and could not built homes, shelters and anything else of importance and we remember.The government does not. Just the way my grandfather can tell you where the highwater mark of the flood in 40 was. So the next time you visit downtown Franklin and see a highwater marker, image the water being that high again because if you have enough birthdays, mother nature will again remind you who is boss.
C. N. Carr
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