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Home made uninhabitable after flood exposes tires beneath foundation, county says further study needed
Summary
A Columbia County homeowner told commissioners that March flooding exposed stacks of tires beneath his home’s foundation; county planners and state ecology staff said removing tires, engineering work and multiagency permits are required before repairs or re-aligning the river can be approved.
Morris Hayes, whose property was damaged in March flooding, told Columbia County commissioners on May 11 that stacks of tires were exposed under his mobile home’s foundation and that he has a contractor quote for foundation repair of $7,500.
County planning director Andy Blake said staff must follow National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rules when assessing substantial damage and that the county uses assessor values to determine the 50% threshold. "So what I explained, we got the value, the current value from, the assessor's office, which was about 213,800," Blake said, noting that the 50% mark would be roughly $106,900 and that Celtic Engineering provided an estimate of about $224,000 for required repairs.
The county and state agencies raised two separate constraints that determine next steps. Blake and Ecology representative Jeremy Sykes said tires under a structure are not acceptable engineered fill and may leach chemicals into groundwater and habitat. "The tires gotta go," a participant stated during the session, and Ecology staff indicated removal and appropriate erosion control measures would be required.
Sykes, joining the meeting by phone, outlined the county’s role and NFIP implications: the local government makes "substantial damage" determinations and must implement flood ordinances consistently so residents remain eligible for NFIP-backed insurance. "The county is doing their level best in this consideration to to keep them eligible for, National Flood Insurance Program funding and insurance policies," Sykes said.
County staff asked the Hayes family to submit the owner-provided MEFI engineering report and contractor estimates so staff can review them. Commissioners and staff discussed potential remedies including engineered river realignment to move the ordinary high-water mark back, which could require an alluvial geomorphologist’s study and multi-agency permits (Army Corps, state shoreline authorities and county floodplain administration). Planning staff cautioned that such work could be costly and require permit approvals before it changes setback or repair requirements.
No formal action was taken. The county advised the homeowners to provide engineering documentation and quotes for staff review; Ecology and county staff offered technical support but emphasized that a local process and state permitting requirements would govern whether the structure can be repaired and reoccupied.
The meeting ended with commissioners saying they would continue coordination and accept submitted documents for further review.
