Allan Appel Photo
In wintertime, this seemingly harmless brook floods the backyards of West Hills homes and turns Valley Street into a skating rink. After 20 years, the city is stepping in to solve the problem.
Wileese Moore (pictured) knows about the brook. For three years she and her family have been renting the little white house at 13 Valley Place South from its owner, Philip White.
For each of those winters, the babbling brook behind the house overflows its banks and turns into a flood streaming across lawns.
“It floods Valley Street all the way to the substation,” she said.
The brook is a northwestern branch of Rock Creek that runs at the base of West Rock. For years, it’s been filled with brush and debris and not maintained. As a result, about a dozen houses and their backyards are regularly flooded along Valley Place South, Valley Place North, and Rock Creek Road.
Last Wednesday night eight of the affected homeowners turned out at a City Plan Commission meeting to hear their decades-long flooding problem discussed, and resolved.
Acting in the capacity of the city’s Inland Wetlands Commission, City Plan commissioners voted to authorize a clean-out of the channel from Rock Creek Road to the property line of the Micro Society Magnet School at 311 Valley St.
City Engineer Richard Miller estimated the clean-out will cost between $10,000 and $20,000. It will go out to bid soon with an expected start date next month. The funds come from city capital money set aside for flood and erosion control.
Miller said the brook “has never been maintained.” As a result, in times of heavy rain, flooding and dangerous icing occur in the area.
Although the brook runs through private property, Miller said the city is responsible for proper clearing and maintenance of the stream. That’s because when the school (formerly West Hills) was built nearby, the stream was blocked up at that point. “They basically damned it,” he said of the school builders.
Sonya Blakely & Philip White.
Sonya Blakely said she has owned two houses on Valley Place South since 1987. The only time she ever saw city crews dealing with the problem was once when the parking lot at Micro Society was turned into a slick disc of ice and cars were sliding out of control.
“This will be a blessing for many people,” said one homeowner at the City Plan meeting.
Another asked what will keep the problem from recurring. Miller replied, “Keep the brush out. Don’t fill it with your leaves in the fall.”
Blakely expressed concern about backhoes and other equipment damaged lawns and trees.
“I wrote the specifications ‘to restore to original or better condition,’” Miller answered.
“Hallelujah,” Blakely replied.