South Bend Public Works announce 2019 small drainage projects

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Department of Public Works with the City of South Bend announced on Monday several small drainage projects they are set to take on in 2019. 

The following are the small drainage projects that the department has budgeted for:

  1. Olivia Circle, Hawbaker Street, and Creekwater - $312,596
  2. Overlook Court, Laurel Woods, and East Bank Trail Flooding repairs - $240,000

In May, the department completed a project at Lathrop Place near Riverside Drive. According to neighbors, during any rain event, the patch of the road would turn into a small pond.

“All the water would flow from the hill here,” said Sarah Sovinski, who lives nearby. “It would all converge in the back here and flood terribly.”

Sovinski, who has lived in her home near the flood area since 2003, said people would either drive through the water or tear up her and her neighbor’s yard to drive around the flooding. She said her husband sent a series of pictures of the issue to the city and District 1 Common Council member Tim Scott. 

After hearing the concerns of the Sovinski’s and other neighbors, who signed a petition, the city added a drainage swale and upgraded the catch basin. The total cost of the project was $24,765.

Sovinski said she is relieved she does not have to deal with the flooding anymore because the city’s solution ‘absolutely works.’

However, on the city’s south side, neighbors on Overlook Court said their flooding problems have yet to be solved. Chuck McCoy said for any rain event they will see water coming up on their property ‘quite a bit.’

McCoy shared a video of past flooding with ABC 57 News, which shows rainwater collecting on the cul-de-sac. The flooding is so severe that it flows into McCoy’s garage. 

He said a nearby outflow pipe is the source of the problem, that originally the city fixed with a ‘beehive’ manhole. However, McCoy said the manhole gets clogged pretty often, which leaves the rainwater with a straight path to his neighborhood. 

“I mean this is literally a lake, a river when it does it,” he said. 

McCoy said he has spoken to public works about the issue. The department announced on Monday that the Overlook Ct. small drainage project is set to go up for bid in Fall 2019. 

McCoy said he was excited about the possible fix to the flooding problem. He said he can’t wait to tell his neighbors that soon something is going to happen. 

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