Tuscaloosa officials outline short‑term drainage projects and propose $45.7M 'Noah's Ark 2' bond package

Tuscaloosa Mayor and city staff presented a multi‑year stormwater plan at a council work session, proposing near‑term neighborhood drainage repairs and a larger bond‑funded program dubbed “Noah's Ark 2.” Mike Gardner, the city engineer, walked council members through project concepts and condition assessments while the mayor framed the effort around rising rainfall totals and more intense storms.

The proposal would pair immediate, smaller‑scale projects drawn from the city's neighborhood drainage fund with a recommended $45,700,000 bond issue to fund a broader set of long‑term improvements. Staff recommended creating a $15,000,000 reserve inside that bond total to cover contingency, targeted property buyouts and grant‑match opportunities, and a separate $15,000,000 line of credit to begin engineering and right‑of‑way work before a bond sale.

Why it matters: city staff said heavier, more intense storms have increased local flooding and strained systems built for smaller events. The mayor summarized the problem bluntly: "it feels like every week we're having a 500 year flood," and urged council members to weigh short‑ and long‑term options. Gardner said aging corrugated metal pipe — a product the city stopped installing around 2007 — is failing in multiple neighborhoods and requires repair, lining or replacement. "CMP stands for corrugated metal pipe," Gardner reminded the council as he described common failure modes.

Short‑term neighborhood drainage recommendations

Staff said the city currently shows a neighborhood drainage fund balance of $3,500,000 and noted the council had previously approved adding $3,000,000 to that fund. At the work session staff proposed…