Flooding in Richland County came as no surprise Sunday morning in Richland County as heavy and constant rain all day Saturday fell on ground already saturated with snowmelt. Bellville and Lexington experienced flooding, and electric power was out in Shelby. By midmorning and early afternoon, the flood waters had receded significantly.
In Bellville, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) personnel stated that they were in Bellville by 4 a.m. and joined Bellville Police officer Burt Skeen who was already monitoring the rising Clear Fork River.
N. Main Street in Bellville was closed early this morning, detouring traffic moving south on SR 13. A few people gathered at Fred’s Garage, located at the corner of N. Main and Mill Rd. (SR 97), at around 7 a.m. to help move tools from inside the business. Vehicles were also relocated, but the flood waters receded shortly after 8 a.m. and the business was spared.
“It came on the road about 4:30 a.m.,” stated an ODOT employee who could not provide his name, “We came about 4 a.m. to watch.” At approximately 8 a.m., an ODOT employee said, “We’re guessing it’s going to crest or at least not come up much farther.”
The water had already begun to recede from the safety cones put in place to block the road. ODOT workers also dealt with a tree down on SR 95 and Newville Roads.
According to Bellville Mayor Darrell Banks, the water crested at the Main St. bridge at approximately 12.5 feet at around 5:30 a.m.
SR 97 and Hines Avenue were also closed to traffic, as were a number of roads outside of Bellville and around the county including Bellville-Johnsville and Mock Roads. Gatton Rocks Road near Butler was closed but SR 97 into Butler remained open.
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By 10 a.m. the flood waters had receded significantly in Bellville and St. Rt. 97 was open by 10:06 a.m. Main and School Streets were open by early afternoon, but Fry Road behind the Bellville Cemetery and Bellville-Johnsville Rd. off SR 97 were slower to open.
Mayor Darrell Banks was notified of the rising water in the early hours of the morning and personally monitored the developing situation.
“We’re very appreciative of the work ODOT did under the bridge [N. Main St.],” stated Banks, “A significant amount more water went through there thanks to their work. The businesses along State Routes 13 and 97 were not affected to the degree that they were in July.”
During the summer, ODOT cut trees and cleared log jams under the bridge and in the river. They also installed riprap along the southern bank. Riprap is used where there is the potential for water erosion.
J.R. Powers, a volunteer with CitiChurch, was stationed at a road closure sign near Alexander Rd. W. He said that he was helping guide CitiChurch attendees to the church. “I just wanted to make sure they’d see a friendly face,” he said.
Lexington Community Park and Bicentennial Park also experienced flooding, but Lexington-Springmill Rd. remained passable.
Conditions in Shelby at 9:30 a.m. were relatively calm. The water level at the Black Fork River that runs through the center of town was well below the bridge’s concrete supports.
Most of the effort appeared to be concentrated on restoring power to Shelby which was lost when straight line winds at approximately midnight Saturday knocked over a very large tree that downed power to what appeared to be most of the city. American Electric Power (AEP) reported a transmission line to George Hawk substation was taken down due to the tree. Power was restored by approximately 2 p.m.
Two staff members from the US Geological Survey were busy on the bridge in Shelby measuring water levels and current speed using a sophisticated Doppler radar device. Looking like a small three foot boat, the device uses a combination of radar and sonar to establish everything from depth and water velocity, to the amount of sediment in the water. They were there, according to staff member Sean Brown, to continue their joint effort with the city of Shelby to collect and analyze data that will help the city determine how to best mitigate flooding.
