York area drainage project keeps floodwaters away
When last week's severe storms and days of epic rainfall swept over the region, one place that didn't see flooding was in the Shifley-York neighbors off Bittel Road.
'Actually, there is no flooding at all since they've done the construction,' former City Commissioner Mark Castlen said Tuesday.
In 2022, commissioners approved a $5-million stormwater project in the Shifley-York area, using American Rescue Plan Act dollars the city received for pandemic relief.
The final sewer work is expected to be complete next month, Assistant City Engineer Jack Goetz said Tuesday.
'We are moving ahead well,' Goetz said. 'We are in the process of installing the last line of the sewer system.
'We are hoping to wrap up all the storm sewer (work) by early May,' Goetz said.
The project included creating a three-acre drainage basin, widening York Ditch from 2 feet to 8 feet, and installing sewer lines to take neighborhoods out of the combined sewer system, which handles both sewage and rainwater. The new lines will keep sewage and rain water from overwhelming the storm water lines during heavy rainfall.
Although not complete, the system is already working, Castlen said.
'I was pleasantly surprised after the rain there was no pond' at places that formerly flooded in the neighborhood, Castlen said.
Castlen was on the City Commission when commissioners and Mayor Tom Watson unanimously supported the drainage project.
'I'll be happy when it's over, but I'm more happy it's making such a difference for my neighbors,' Castlen said. 'Everything fell into place, and I feel good about that.'
After the final sewer line is installed, crews will do some site restoration in areas where construction took place, Goetz said.
The work caused some disruption in the neighborhoods, Castlen said, but that it was 'a minor price to pay for the betterment of the community.'
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