GRAYSVILLE, Tenn. — A state environmentalist said last week that state and local officials should plan together to solve flooding problems in Rhea and northern Hamilton County creeks.
Paul Sloan, assistant to the commissioner of the Department of Environment and Conservation, said regional planning would allow the state, the counties and their cities to “chip away” at flooding problems.
“Our goal is not to have a one-day ribbon cutting, but to have the county support, the city support, the state support,” Mr. Sloan said.
Three weeks ago, Rhea County officials got an emergency permit to plug a breach in Roaring Creek in Graysville after water flooded the driveway of a volunteer fire station and convenience center.
Flooding has been a problem on Roaring and Richland creeks in Rhea County and Rock Creek in northern Hamilton County, officials said. Almost two years ago, Rhea County officials were served with a commissioner’s order from TDEC and told they could face fines after state officials said more than a mile of Roaring Creek was dredged illegally.
State Rep. Jim Cobb, R-Spring City, said he would like to see TDEC issue a regional permit allowing county officials to handle flood problems whenever they occur. He said sediment buildup in creekbeds has diverted many streams from their original paths.
Regional permits could give county and city officials flexibility to get in and fix problems quickly and without a lot of red tape, he said.
“When those creeks get out of their banks, you don’t know where that water’s going to go,” he said.
Mr. Sloan said he talked briefly with Rep. Cobb about regional permitting. He said federal and state regulations might forbid giving county officials a “blank check” to go in and fix the creeks.
“I have no idea how that would work,” he said.
Ongoing talks between TDEC and the county about restoring Roaring Creek to its original condition also inhibit being able to fix flooding problems, County Executive Billy Ray Patton said.
“As long as we are under a commissioner’s order, we can’t do anything,” he said.
Graysville Fire Chief Richard Neal said the flooding causes problems for his department, which sits just 100 yards from Roaring Creek.
Every time there’s a hard rain, firefighters have to move the firetruck to make sure it doesn’t get stuck on the other side of the creek.
“It just floods that whole entire area,” he said. “You can’t even get through that road.”
Cliff has worked for the Times Free Press for five years and covers Chattanooga city government. He previously covered Rhea County, as well as transportation and growth and development in Southeast Tennessee. A native of Maryville, Tenn., Cliff graduated in 2003 from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis on journalism. Before coming to Chattanooga, he was a crime reporter with Hernando Today, a supplement of The Tampa (Fla.) ...
