BELLVILLE — Major routes have reopened in Bellville, but Mayor Teri Brenkus isn’t breathing a sigh of relief just yet.
Brenkus said she’s “very concerned” about a resurgence in flooding even as waters continued to recede Saturday afternoon.
The height of the Clear Fork Mohican River sat just under 10 feet as of 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon, according to a gage in the vicinity of Main Street operated by the United States Geological Survey.
But the National Weather Service said north central Ohio could be in for more rain Saturday night. The agency has issued a flood warning in effect until 11 p.m. that covers portions of Ashland, Crawford, Knox, Marion, Morrow and Richland counties.
Brenkus said village crews were hard at work to get roads reopened Saturday and asked residents to stay alert for road closure signs once the rain resumes.
“It’s so easy to drive into these high waters and not even know it when it’s dark,” she said “We encourage everybody to watch the signs. It’s there for their safety.”
‘This is the highest it’s gotten since I’ve been in office’
The Clear Fork Mohican swelled by more than 10 feet between Friday night and early Saturday morning, cresting at more than 13 feet around 4:15 a.m. Saturday morning.
“The basement of our feed mill is flooded, so production has stopped till nature says otherwise,” said Donnie Clark, owner of Elzy Milling and Trade.
“It’s very frustrating. This used to happen once every 40 years. Now it’s once a spring, minimum. We’ve talked to every state agency we can think of and they all say same thing, ‘Ask someone else.’”
Brenkus said this year’s flooding was especially pronounced, with water backing up out of storm drains. Three people had to be rescued after attempting to drive through flooded streets.
“This is the highest it’s gotten since I’ve been in office,” she said. “There was areas throughout the whole village where people’s yards were flooding that normally don’t have a problem.”
Brenkus said the village had a flood assessment done three or four years ago and that village officials were essentially told nothing could be done.
The only option presented was for the village to buy up the floodplain that houses several local businesses and homes — from Fred’s Auto Repair and The Dairy Belle to the River Rock, Valley Nails and Elzy Milling and Trade — and tear it all down.
“That’s the option they gave us. We’re not willing to go that route. That’s an important part of the village,” Brenkus said. “Every business there is very valued, along with all those houses.”
Brenkus said regulations around water pollution and conservation mean dredging the river is likely not an option.
“You can’t really put any equipment in a river now,” she said.
