LILLIAN, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Flood waters have plagued and damaged homes along Faircloth Road near Lillian for years. News 5 began reporting on the problem in October of 2021 . Now, a four-month project is underway that homeowners believe will be the relief they have been searching for.
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“This will fix it,” says homeowner John Petrick. “I’m 100 percent confident this is going to fix it.”
A happy camper: that’s how Petrick describes himself now that a $1.5 million project is underway that will prevent his property from being flooded.
“It was six months of water. That is when we had the alligator,” he recalls.
The 1,200-acre area off Faircloth Road near Lillian is a naturally formed basin that collects storm water, and there was no outlet.
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Now, a mile-long ditch will funnel water from hurricanes and heavy rains all the way to the Blackwater River.
“They had to get the approval from school board property and Forever Wild had to get all their ducks in a row and it took a while but it finally got done,” says Petrick.