Greenwood utility planning drainage projects

A new Greenwood utility has a plan for fixing flood-prone areas along Tracy Ditch, near Pleasant Run Creek and in other parts of the city.

The Greenwood stormwater utility plans $19 million worth of projects over the next decade. The city mostly aims to replace rusting, decades-old stormwater pipes and rebuild ditches, stormwater utility director Lissa Ruhlman said.

Other potential projects include underground water storage basins and rain gardens in parking lot islands at Greenwood Park Mall. A massive $7.7 million water basin along Pleasant Creek potentially could solve flooding problems in a few areas, including the Old Town, Old City Park and Bomar Lane.

Greenwood will start the projects next year, Ruhlman said. The city is looking at how to prioritize the projects and which realistically could be accomplished first.

A new $5 a month utility fee will pay for projects aimed at reducing flooding throughout the city. Most of the flooding has been in streets and yards, where sinkholes sometimes develop, Ruhlman said.

“It was based on high need before,” she said. “But now we’re going to address these issues in a systematic way.”

Earlier this year, Greenwood established a stormwater utility to comply with federal regulations, keep streams and other waterways clean, and work to minimize flooding. Anyone with flooding problems should contact the city, Mayor Mark Myers said.

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