Columbus hearing advances draft ordinance to classify dangerous retention ponds as public nuisances

Columbus city leaders held a public hearing on draft legislation to amend Title 45 of the city housing code so certain private, manmade ponds at multiunit residential developments can be declared a public nuisance and required to carry specific safety measures.

President Pro Tem opened the hearing and said the proposal responds to “dozens” of child drownings and near-fatal incidents in Columbus over the past decade tied largely to manmade retention ponds at apartment and multifamily sites. He said the draft ordinance is intended to give the Department of Building and Zoning Services (BZS) tools to require safety improvements on ponds that pose a danger to nearby residents.

Columbus Public Health presented county data and equity concerns. Karen Gray, representing Columbus Public Health, said Franklin County Child Fatality Review found 47 children died in the county between 2013 and 2022 and that 53 percent of those deaths were from drowning. She said there were 11 pond drownings over a 10-year period and that Black children and children from first-generation immigrant families were overrepresented among victims: Black children accounted for about 60 percent of child drowning…