MORGANTOWN — West Virginia University and the West Virginia Department of Highways have both declined a request from the Morgantown Utility Board to invest in MUB’s flood control efforts.
During MUB’s most recent regular meeting, General Manager Mike McNulty said each was asked to contribute one-third of the $300,000 cost to complete the second phase of a comprehensive flood control study.
MUB put up $40,000 in early 2022 to cover Phase I of the study in response to public fears and frustrations after historic flooding in the Suncrest area as a result of 100-year rain events on June 13 and July 29 of 2021.
All told, the rains resulted in hundreds of basement and overland flooding events leading to unforgettable footage of water surging down Patteson Drive, motorists perched atop semi-submerged vehicles and homes full of brown water.
McNulty said getting the area’s other two MS4 (municipal separate stormwater system) entities on board was critical to the effort because the systems are so interconnected. Not having those partners on board will change the scope of the effort.
The WVU and DOH systems would include any inlets, piping, ditches, catch basins or other stormwater infrastructure on WVU property or within a state right-of-way.
WVU owns 439 parcels within MUB’s MS4, totaling roughly 1,800 acres.
“We were looking at the big picture of the Suncrest area where we had our flooding with those two events, so without everybody’s participation it’s difficult to go on,” he said. “We took the first phase. MUB took that on ourselves and paid for that 100%. We didn’t ask anyone else to jump in at that time, thinking, ‘OK, we’ll take that first leap and people will join us,’ but it didn’t happen.”
Phase II of the study would have included an evaluation of the expected level of service and the size of the conveyance system needed to provide it, as well as detailed hydrologic modeling of potential flood reduction projects, an evaluation of property removal within the floodplain, a review of local ordinances and building codes and community input sessions.
MUB will focus on smaller, more confined stormwater issues instead.
“It’s disappointing we don’t have two other partners, but there are things we can do as a utility where we can. So, we’ll keep taking those little bites and making those improvements,” MUB Chair Barbara Parsons said, adding, “Maybe we’ll have another opportunity. Maybe these folks will have an opportunity in the next year or two to come back and say they’re ready to participate. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.”
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