FINDLAY, Ohio — The Blanchard River has a long history of flooding downtown Findlay, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has created a plan to divert water around the city during heavy rain events – right through almost 300 acres of farmland.

The $66 million project would create a 10-mile channel and a 1.5-mile levee to prevent floodwater from overwhelming the city during heavy rain events. According to project designers, the plan was chosen because it has the most benefits with the least environmental impacts, as well as the lowest cost.

Although people would be impacted positively and negatively, designers said the project strikes the best balance possible. However, several farmers and other rural residents opposed the project during a public comment session April 22 at Findlay High School. They questioned why farmers and rural people should be forced to deal with more water, instead of the people in its natural path.

(Hancock County Farm Bureau, which was cited in an Associated Press article as also opposing the project, could not be reached for comment with numerous phone calls.)

The Blanchard River watershed is comprised of 771 square miles in the counties of Putnam, Hancock, Seneca, Allen, Hardin and Wyandot. The Corps of Engineers was given the task of creating a plan to alleviate flooding in the city.

“The (number of people present) underscores the importance to the community dedication and concern that you have,” said Lt. Col. Karl Jansen, commander of the Buffalo district of the Corps of Engineers, to an estimated 500 people who filled the auditorium April 22.

The project would be designed to allow normal river and creek flow except during times of heavy rainfall. During those times, the levee would prevent water from overflowing from the river and moving to a nearby creek. When the river and creek both are carrying large amounts of water, they converge in the downtown area causing flooding.

The levee would induce controlled flooding, and would redirect excess water to a diversion channel southeast of the city where it could bypass Findlay and re-enter the river on the other side of town. Engineers are designing the channel to follow property lines as much as possible to avoid cutting up farm fields.

The project includes construction of eight bridges over the channel, including State Road 12, Interstate 75, a Norfolk Southern Railroad bridge and five county and township roads. Landowners – farmers and homeowners – deemed to be adversely impacted by the project would be compensated as part of its overall cost.

The project also includes stream and wetland mitigation areas, which are being designed to enhance wildlife habitat. The project has an estimated construction start in 2022 and is to be completed in 2027. It’s expected to save the community $3.8 million a year.

Voters in Hancock County approved a sales tax increase in 2009 to pay for flood relief projects. Five major floods since 2007 have caused millions of dollars in damage to Findlay. Funds have been used to buy flood-prone property and homes along the river, but the project is looking to solve the problem long-term.

The flooding problem is expected to worsen in the future as climate change causes weather changes. “Statistically, in the last decade we’ve had four to eight times the number of severe floods compared to any other decade on record,” Jansen said. “There’s no reason to believe flood risk will be reduced over time if we do nothing.

“This project really goes back to the 1960s.”

After comments from the public session are reviewed, changes are to be considered and a final flood-control plan is expected to be finished by March 2016. That report is to be presented to Congress, and the federal government will be asked to provide up to 65 percent of the funding for construction.

Before he presents the final report to Congress, Jansen said the project goes into the “optimization phase” after the comment session. The project must be deemed to be technically viable, have the least adverse impact on the environment, and make the most economic sense for taxpayers.

Why are farmers taking hit?

During the question-and-answer session, farmer Bill Recker asked why farmers are “taking the hit” when the decisions of city officials have caused many of the flooding problems. That question was greeted with wide applause.

Another farmer asked what would be done with tile that is interrupted by the diversion channel. The answer was that water from tile would drain into the channel.

Another resident asked if houses in a nearby rural area would be purchased if flooding there increased. The panel of people working on the project said the matter would be reviewed.

Other people asked how the location of the levee was chosen and why the river was not being dredged instead of diverted. The panel said dredging the river to make it 2 feet deeper would cause an increase in width of 40 feet. Although technically feasible, dredging would not be as cost-effective as the recommended option.

Other questions ranged from responsibility and cost of maintenance and the local share of the cost, to how oil and natural gas wells in the area would be affected. The draft report is available for review on the Buffalo District website, at www.lrb.usace.army.mil/missions/ civilworks/publicreviewdocuments.aspx

The comment period will be open through May 25. Comments may be submitted by email to blanchard@ usace.army.mil or mailed to: Blanchard River Watershed Study, Draft Report Comments, Toledo Project Office, 3906 N. Summit St., Toledo, OH 43611-5003.