State commits $30M more to flood basin

An additional $30 million for the proposed Eagle Creek Storage Basin, to reduce flooding in Findlay, was approved Tuesday when Gov. Mike DeWine signed the state's capital budget. That brings total state funding for the project to $60 million, the amount needed to do it all, said Tim Mayle, director of Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development. Construction of the storage basin, in Eagle Township, south of Findlay, could start in late 2023, but more likely 2024, Mayle said. It will be south of Township Road 80, north of County Road 45 and west of U.S. 68; its western boundary will be where Township Road 76 currently is. The state had committed $30 million to the project prior to this week, so the additional $30 million approved this week represents a milestone. "That gets us to the finish line for funding. We should be able to afford to finish engineering, land acquisition, construction," Mayle said. In addition, plans call for the project to provide Spring Lake Subdivision residents, west of U.S. 68-Ohio 15, direct road access to the highway, he said. Planning of the basin project has taken years, but Mayle said it will benefit Findlay-Hancock County residents for generations. "We've been working on this funding since 2017, so it's been five years … and it's been a fast five years. To get $60 million in five years is significant," he said. "It's really generational for the community of what this is going to do." A total of 681 acres has been purchased so far for the project, and an additional 100 acres are to be bought soon. Land is being purchased for $27,000 per acre. The Eagle Creek Storage Basin is part of a broad flood reduction strategy for Findlay and Hancock County led by the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District. Parts of the Blanchard River in Findlay are being widened to increase flood plain capacity. One part of the widening, west of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks and west of Cory Street, is nearly complete, said Steve Wilson, project manager for the Hancock County Board of Commissioners. The other section of the river to be widened is on each side of Main Street between the Norfolk Southern and CSX railroad tracks. That phase is expected to start late this year, and work would continue through the winter, Wilson said. Together, the two projects will cost $4 million, to be funded with county sales tax revenue. In addition, the planned Norfolk Southern bridge widening over the Blanchard River will further reduce flood levels. A $7 million federal grant will pay for about 80% of the cost. Local officials are hoping to get the railroad to pay the rest of the cost. Otherwise, the remaining costs will be covered by county government. The bridge widening work is expected to start late this year or in early 2023, Wilson said. In total, the flood reduction measures will reduce the 100-year flood level by about 36 inches, Mayle said. Wilin: 419-427-8413