NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio — Every time it rains, homeowners living in a North Royalton neighborhood find themselves on high alert and concerned with what they call a growing floodwater risk.
Jean Harhay and several of her neighbors living along Jupiter, Athena and Saturn Drive told News 5 they've been living in fear over a creek that runs through their adjoining backyards. Harhay said she has watched the creek expand in depth and width over the past several years and said creek debris is a chronic issue that is causing growing high water concerns.
“Every time it rains the water gets deeper and deeper, because in the creek there’s silt, there’s garbage down there," Harhay said. “The water is coming from the other streets where they built new houses without accounting for where this water was going, and so it’s only a matter of time when the dirt is going to continue to erode and that creek is going to be up here.”
Jean's husband Jim Harhay told News 5 that he believes the rising creek water is also a real neighborhood safety risk.
“I was a fire fighter for 35 years and I’ve seen tragic accidents," Harhay said. "A child could think he’s just playing in the street and just wander over here and drop into that creek 10-feet deep and be sucked underneath the pipe.”
North Royalton homeowner Michael Galloway said neighborhood flooding concerns aren't without some real merit, showing News 5 a series of pictures of the flooded-out neighborhood after extensive storms in 2012. Galloway believes high water issues are taxing other crucial neighborhood systems.
"Storm water is getting into the sanitary lines so there’s an issue there and it’s just creating more volume for the sanitation system," Galloway said. “It would be just nice if the city would work with us in kind of dredging it, and then work with Broadview Heights as well.”
News 5 contacted North Royalton Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz about this issue, and the Mayor responded quickly. The Mayor said the creek is legally not a city responsibility. The Mayor said he is working with residents on this situation and issued the following statement.
“I went out and met with the resident, on site, to look at the issue. I shared with her that our Stormwater Crew would check the inlet, outlet and basins, which are the City’s responsibility to make sure are clear. We did that the next morning, as well as repair a piece of fencing. The ditch was open and clear of debris. I just want to stress that we also have a program in place that allows property owners to combine forces and apply for funding from the City. We have always tried to work with our residents to help address storm-water management.”
Mayor Antoskiewicz pledged to help the neighborhood apply for financial aid through the Storm Water Management Assistance Program as long as they get multiple bids from licensed contractors who can clean out the creek debris.
Meanwhile, homeowners like Maggie Hubert are hoping the Mayor and his team will follow through in helping with creek issues as soon as possible.
“There’s all these trees that are falling down and our neighbors are older, who’s going to take care of it, it’s the city’s water," Hubert said. “If that overflows, everyone on this side is going to get flooded out. We would love for them to take care of this problem and come clean it out, come dredge it out so it flows properly that would be a good start."
Information on the North Royalton Storm Water Management Assistance Program can be found here.
News 5 is committed to following through on this developing story.
