KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The City of Knoxville’s Stormwater Engineering Division is hosting four public meetings for those who have been impacted by recent flash flooding.
During the meetings, officials will share updates on the comprehensive stormwater system analysis and hear from residents about their flash flooding experiences. The meetings will go from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the following dates:
- Tuesday, Aug. 11 – Dr. E.V. Davidson Community Center, 3124 Wilson Ave.
- Wednesday, Aug. 12 – Cecil Webb Community Center, 923 Baker Ave.
- Monday, Aug. 17 – Christenberry Community Center, 931 Oglewood Ave.
- Thursday, Aug. 20 – Deane Hill Recreation Center, 7414 Deane Hill Drive
The City of Knoxville is investing millions of dollars in projects to reduce flooding and improve water quality. These projects include modernizing the stormwater infrastructure on Cherry Street in East Knoxville and Baum Drive in West Knoxville. To find out where improvements are needed, the City Council approved a $598,000 contract with Ardurra Group to help the City follow up on its first-ever holistic stormwater system inventory and assessment in June.
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These updates are needed as storms are becoming increasingly violent. David McGinley, the Stormwater Engineering Chief for Knoxville, told 6 News after flash flooding in July that the city’s rain gauge recorded more than an inch of rain in 15 minutes. He explained, “We’re getting more intense rainfalls, shorter durations, higher intensities.”
“Some of the stormwater pieces didn’t even show up on any drainage maps before now,” McGinley said in a release from the city. “The inventory was a game-changer. Now that we’ve got a much clearer understanding of our stormwater system – how water flows through the system – we can now prioritize upgrades where they are needed the most…