Calera residents say flooding could be avoided
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Updated: 9:27 AM Oct 23, 2009
Calera residents say flooding could be avoided
BRYAN COUNTY, OK -- Wednesday’s heavy rainfall shut down many roads across Texoma, but some residents in Bryan County say the flooding in their neighborhood could have been avoided.
Posted: 11:44 PM Oct 22, 2009
Reporter: Maddie Garrett
Email Address: maddie.garrett@kxii.com
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BRYAN COUNTY, OK -- Wednesday’s heavy rainfall shut down many roads across Texoma, but some residents in Bryan County say the flooding in their neighborhood could have been avoided. We talked with some Calera residents who are asking the county to help stop the rising waters.

"I'm worried I'm going to lose the foundation on my house, you can see where the porch has already sank from the house itself, so I mean I'm just worried that it's going to keep doing this and eventually my house is going to be completely ruined,” said Donna Arps, a homeowner on Platter Road in Calera, OK.

The problem is a ditch that runs through their property.

"It's all stacking up right here and there, it just can't drain fast enough,” said Jimmy Craddock, who lives across the street from Arps.

The water should drain through a culvert from one side of the street to the other. But the culvert has completely collapsed, forcing the water to run up onto the street, and into their yards and homes.

When Arps bought her home three years ago, she found the ditch that runs through her property was filled with junk. She's been working to clean up the trash, which consists of things like a bath tub, lawn mower and other various items. But it’s been a long and costly process.

"If they want their system to run through it they need to maintain it, you know it's not my trash it was here before I got here, I'm willing to help clean it up, it's just the trash is not the problem. The water runs through the trash, it's not running through their culvert that's completely caved in,” explained Arps.

Arps and her family have asked Bryan County to repair the culvert and the ditch. When we spoke to Commissioners they said it was up to the road foreman to decide if anything can be done.

Jeni Boatwright also lives on Platter Road, she said the foreman visited once, only staying for five minutes.

"They came out and said they couldn't do anything until the ditch was cleared because it wouldn't help the water run...he just kind of stayed at the end of the road and just looked down,” said Boatwright.

Arps said she is frustrated and worried if something doesn’t get done to fix the overflowing drainage ditch soon.

"You know I can't get them to come out and do anything about it, I don't know, just something, help me to get the water to go somewhere besides my front door,” said Arps.

Bryan County Commissioners said they weren't familiar enough with the situation to make any comment. But Donna Arps and her family say they've contacted the county road foreman several times asking for help.


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