East Ridge seeks stormwater master plan after heavy August rainfall; council hires ACE Engineering for inventory work

City leaders on Oct. 23 approved a step to create a comprehensive stormwater management plan after a severe rain event exposed gaps in the city’s drainage network.

Council approved Resolution No. 37-52 authorizing the city manager to contract with ACE Engineering to complete a stormwater asset inventory, condition assessment and an initial draft of a stormwater master plan. City Manager Mike Miller said the work will create maps and a prioritized list of stormwater projects to support grant applications and capital budgeting.

Miller told the council the move follows an Aug. 12 storm that dropped about 6.7 inches of rain in less than three hours and caused flooding, collapsed concrete flumes and undermined pavement in several parts of the city. He said crews have already responded to emergency repairs at sites including Bennett Road, East Ridge Avenue and staging areas near Springville Park.

ACE Engineering representatives told council that the first phase will catalog every visible asset — culverts, concrete channels, drainage ditches and inlets — using GPS coordinates and condition ratings. That inventory will identify which structures are on public right-of-way and which are on private property; Miller noted many older concrete flumes and channels were built by developers decades ago and remain private responsibility per recorded plats.

The consultant’s scoped work will also include an assessment of Spring Creek and West Chickamauga Creek, a photographic record of obstructions and an initial prioritization of projects the city could seek to fund. City staff said the inventory is expected to take roughly four to six months and to rely on one engineering intern plus an experienced inspector for field work.

Council members and residents at the meeting raised questions about ownership of large concrete flumes on private property, long-term maintenance liabilities, and how the city would prioritize projects and establish access or drainage easements. City staff said the inventory will inform those policy choices and help the council decide whether to assume ownership of critical conveyances or to pursue easements and targeted capital projects.

Council approved the ACE Engineering contract with the city manager authorized to proceed; staff said the plan will be needed to pursue state and federal grants for drainage improvements and to create a long-term capital approach to stormwater problems.