Following July 7th’s record rainfall that dumped more than five inches on parts of Paducah in less than two hours, residents are voicing concerns about the city’s storm water system capacity.
According to the National Weather Service, the amount of rainfall was greater than a 100-year storm event, and City Manager Jeff Pederson says that is beyond the capacity of a typical municipal storm system.
Residents were promised by mayor Gayle Kaler that the city will fix the storm drainage problems.
“I have talked to the city manager about a storm water management update. We are going to work on that,” Kaler said. “We’re going to get one in place. We will find a way to pay for it. Because, it is something that we need to do as a city.”
Many of the homeowners told the commission they have been flooded two or three times since 2011. Five inches of rain fell in an hour and a half causing flooding in neighborhoods that are not in the floodplain.
Paved areas cause more destructive run off when drainage is not developed NHD Properties owner Tony Crouch told the commission.
“Let’s get this situation addressed. Not just our storm drains, but our creeks are not sufficient to handle this water,” Crouch said.
Kaler says that the main problem is the combined sewer system that runs through much of the city. Heavy rains often overwhelm the system.
