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Local Flooding Survey Results

City of Englewood

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Floodproofing Study

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Oxford Pipe Assessment

Conclusions & Recommendations

COMMON FLOOD ISSUES -

SURVEY RESULTS

Through the execution and analysis of a public survey of over 4,000 people (via letters, emails, and postcards, with 55 responses) and through site visits to over 500 individual homes, the Calibre team developed a list of the most commonly noted flood-related issues. We cataloged over 400 citizen photos, mapped more than 50 flooding locations, hosted a public meeting to discuss floodproofing and risks, and contacted nearly 45 individual citizens to discuss risks.

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The main flood concerns identified by the survey and site walks are summarized by the interactive Google Map at right.

The lists below describe the types of flooding and flood concerns identified by the surveys and site walks, as well as other noted flood-related discussion drawn from the surveys and interaction with citizens.

FOUNDATION FLOODING

  • Water seeped into basement through foundation

  • Foundational settling

  • From the ground up seepage

Specific Flood Concerns

  • Flooding in the street, high above curb and into our lawn

  • Shallow water in the yard but not reaching the building

  • Flood waters rushing down streets

  • Porch flooding

  • Damage to landscaping

  • Damage to cars on sidewalk

  • Water pooled around house

  • Sinkhole in yard

YARD/STREET FLOODING

INTERACTIVE MAP: REPORTED FLOODING & RELATED PROBLEMS

This interactive map shows key locations of flooding as determined by modeling, citizen input, and City records. It also includes images, comments about flooding, basin boundaries, and other relevant information. This map can be used to see how reported flooding relates to the Areas of Probable Flooding in the 100-Year Event and to see where different citizens have been reporting flooding throughout the basin areas.

Click here to enlarge map

The images below were provided by citizens of Englewood and/or the City of Englewood in response to the survey discussed herein.  Credits can be found at the bottom of this page.

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Resident FLOOD CONTROL

  • Raised dirt level and elevation

  • Egress windows

  • Waterproofing windows

  • Raised shelving

  • Considering retaining walls

  • Driveway redesign

  • Corrected landscaping

  • Underground sump pumps

  • Sandbags

  • Soil around house, berming

  • Raised walks

  • Soil and rocks

  • Add new drains

  • Expression of concern that individual flood control implementation may make flooding worse for neighbors

BASEMENT FLOODING

  • Water entering through windows, vents, doors, other openings

  • Water against basement windows

  • Water rushing into living space

  • Water entering through egress windows

  • Houses with lower grade elevation than neighbors are flooded

  • Up to 8 feet of water

  • Water pooling up to 8” in basements

  • Damage to baseboards, carpets, walls, furniture, etc.

  • Some homes do not have basements, so main rooms flood

  • Flooding via stairwell into basement

  • Flooding into crawl spaces

  • Hail broke basement windows and caused flooding

STORM INFRASTRUCTURE

  • Frequently clogged inlets

  • Insufficient stormwater capacity in pipes causing surging at inlets/outlets

  • Rotolo Park overflows

  • Barde Park overflows, storm grate insufficient

  • Former ditch still fills with water and floods homes

  • Failures at overpasses at Oxford and Dartmouth

  • Roadways dip, causing pooling

  • Lack of stormwater infrastructure at cul-de-sacs and ends of neighborhoods

  • General lack of drainage inlets and undersized piping

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FLOOD FREQUENCY

  • Every other year, 2-3 years

  • Floods increasing over the last decade

  • Concern that new homes and development/redevelopment will increase flooding

  • Floods every time it rains

  • Concern that individual flood control implementation may make flooding worse for neighbors

ALLEY BLOCKAGE

  • Trash cans

  • Foliage

  • Blocked storm inlets

  • Code says alley should be kept clear

  • Fence obstacles  

GARAGE FLOODING

  • Garage settling

  • Flood water damaging garage door sensors, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, etc.

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  • Washington Street between Yale and Amherst

  • 4100 block of S Broadway

  • Alley between 4100 and 4200 S Broadway

  • Alleys at S Ogden going north from E Cornell (2900-3000)

  • 2980 S Ogden (illegal wall)

  • Infrastructure under S Ogden

  • Rotolo Park

  • Radcliff Avenue from Rotolo Park to cul-de-sac

  • 4400 Block of S Huron

  • Oxford and Santa Fe

  • Dartmouth and Santa Fe

  • Barde Park/Charles Hay School

  • Alley south of Tufts between Lincoln St and S Broadway

  • Corners at Mansfield and Inca

  • 4000 block of Jason Street

  • Alley behind 4100 Lincoln St

  • Quincy Avenue at Jason

  • Sherman Street

  • Areas next to newly developed lots

  • Alleys along Acoma (specifically at 4600 block)

  • S Acoma Street

  • S Clarkson and S Clarkson Circle at Amherst

  • Lipan Street

  • Along Quincy and Navajo

  • Along the green belt

  • Gutters at the corner of Stanford and Delaware

  • Downstream of All Souls Catholic Church

  • Drains at Corona downstream of Dartmouth

  • Drains at Corona and Cornell

  • Downing Street

  • Broadway and Floyd

  • Hampden at Big O Tires

  • Radcliff Avenue at 1200 Block

  • S Windermere between Lehigh and Oxford

  • Street at 4600 Grant

  • Temporary manmade culvert at 4660 Bannock

  • Paved yard two houses down of 4660 Bannock

  • Former City Ditch

  • Radcliff and Lipan

  • South side of Stanford from east to west

  • Alleys on Stanford between Cherokee and Bannock

  • North on Sherman from Dartmouth past Cornell

  • Corner of S Lincoln and Amherst

Specific Areas of Flooding

During the course of this study, several homeowners were met in-person at their homes to discuss flooding issues and current floodproofing methods. A few of the most notable items are outlined below.

Individual Homeowner Flooding

2900 Block of Ogden 

The residents at this location have lived at the property for 43 years. 

  • Flooding has only occurred in the past 11 years, getting worse as more development is finished to the southeast of this property

  • The owner before the current resident had built a tasteful brick wall around the back of the house to protect the ground-level windows from water

  • Flooding occurs at this property mainly because of a lack of drainage in the back alley. There is an inlet in the alley behind the house that is insufficient

  • In recent years, two additional storm lines have been installed to deposit runoff into the inlet box in front of this property

  • The resident noted that if the two additional lines had run directly into the inlet across the street, the outlet pipe is bigger and would likely handle the additional flows, as opposed to the smaller pipe within the inlet box directly in front of the property

  • A neighbor to the south had built a concrete wall around the back of the property in the past; after the wall was built, the residents at 2960 S Ogden noted higher flooding depths (up to 10" more than previous floods)

  • This resident noted upwards of 40" of water in the garage during the large storm event of 2018

4600 Block of acoma 

The owner of this location usually rents the property to two sets of tenants, one in the upstairs area and one set in the basement.

  • The recent flooding in 2018 rendered the basement uninhabitable. Renovations are ongoing.

  • The upstairs area was not impacted

  • Water broke one egress window and one other window into the basement, flooding the area to the ceiling; the resident was able to escape before the water got too high

  • All carpeting, drywall, furniture, wiring and plumbing is being renovated to mitigate damage due to the floods

  • The stairwell to the basement also flooded, eventually leaving the basement filled with water during the flood

  • A small step had been built around the stairwell that would keep out smaller floods, but this home experienced nearly 3.5' of flooding

1200 Block of radcliff

The residents at this location have lived at this property for 32 years.

  • The recent flood cause tens of thousands of dollars in damages to cars, furniture, carpeting and other household appliances

  • This house does not have a basement, just a main level

  • The main level of the house sustained flooding due to minor gaps in the wall-foundation connection 

  • The large 8' fence adjacent to the property was knocked down due to the force of the water

  • The garage door and other fencing was damaged due to water force as well

  • This resident also noted that nearby new developments have been associated with higher and more common flooding

100 Block of e cornell 

The resident at this location has lived at this property for about 6 years.

  • Flooding is localized in this area to this specific property

  • Water flows through and over a retaining wall from the neighbor's house to the east

  • Resident noted that after large floods, water would seep into the basement through cracks in the foundation

  • Resident has foundation cracks repaired, and a concrete sloping walk away from the house built

700 Block of w oxford 

The resident at this location has lived at the property for 57 years.

  • City Ditch was constructed adjacent to the back yard of this property, upslope

  • In 2007, the ditch was filled in and replaced with a 12" pipe

  • The cult-a-sac to the southeast of this property floods due to the filling of the ditch near one inlet that is undersized over the hill where the ditch used to be and into the backyard

  • Resident noted that in 57 years, his property never flooded until after the ditch was filled

  • Since the ditch was filled in , this property has been flooded 5 times 

1200 Block of w radcliff 

The resident at this location has lived at this property for 30 years.

  • Water has flooded the yard about a dozen times in 30 years

  • The house is raised on a crawlspace that doesn't easily flood; no damage has been reported 

  • During the 2018 flood, there was about 4' of water in the cult-a-sac out front of this property

  • Minor garage damage has been reported, however overall damage has been minimal despite high floodwaters on this property

  • Resident noted that during high floods, oil sheens can be seen on the top of the flood waters and gas smells come from a mist off of the floodwaters

  • Resident noted that the storm grates out front in the cult-a-sac tend to get clogged very easily, rendering them not as useful as they could be

4000 Block of s broadway

The owner of this property also owns the carwash next door

  • The owner notes that there is typically a lot of debris in the alley left from people illegally dumping large items behind Goodwill

  • Owner noted that although there was no damage to the carwash or the office next door, he suspects the sanitary sewer that the carwash is attached to backed up into the floodwaters

  • There was minor water that had leaked in to the basement of the office building, but no major damage

  • Owner noted that the alley behind his properties floods deply, about 2-3' of water, and that the homes on the other side of the alley flood often

3000 Block of s pearl 

City Ditch runs as an open channel diagonally through the backyard of this property.

  • Despite the ditch in the backyard, no flooding has been attributed to the ditch

  • Residents noted that they have never seen the ditch more than about half full

  • Water floods this property by coming north from Dartmouth, down Pearl and Pennsylvania

  • The alley is lower than the house and does not cause any flooding on the property

  • The street flows overtop the curb and come into the yard, up to the house

  • Water flows down Pearl (north) to Cornell and west. Water overtops the curb and flows into the front yard, damages the yard and fence, and exits through the back yard

4100 Block of s lincoln 

The resident at this location has lived at the property for 30 years.

  • Water comes into the home from the alley side; there are no openings on the other side of the home for water to enter

  • Water does flow around the front of the house in larger storms

  • Water ponds about 2-3' in the alley

  • City has replaced one of the concrete panels of the alley - residents noted that the foundation used to leak water before the panel was fixed (see picture)

  • Residents plugged all holes in the foundation and installed sand bag barriers to mitigate flooding

  • The house is at a lower elevation than the alley and floods 'very often' in larger storms

  • Mold remediation has successfully been done at this property

4300 Block of s jason ct 

The resident at this location has lived at this property for 5 years.

  • Water had seeped into the walls from overloaded gutters during the large storm event of 2018

  • Street flooding overtopped the curb and washed out landscaping items from the property; water did not reach the house

  • The resident is installing a small retaining wall on the north end of the house; the construction home for this wall filled with water and flooded into the street to the north

  • Garage and home did not sustain damage due to street/yard flooding

  • Water generally flows down Radcliff and Jason to the west

4300 Block of s pennsylvania 

The resident at this property sustained no damage to his home during recent years due to flooding.

  • Resident noted that there is a sump in the street two houses to the south

  • There was a 'ton of water' in the alley, but no water made it to the house and no damage was done to the property

  • Water tends to pond up at the sump and into the four surrounding homes' yards; this property is far enough away that flooding is minor

  • No water entered the basement of this property

  • Water flows over curb, into the driveway, and through the backyard, but does not reach the house

4500 Block of s cherokee 

The resident at this property was in the process of renovating her back yard to accommodate floodwaters.

  • Resident noted that the water came into her backyard from the alley and came around the north side of her house

  • Minor amounts of water entered the crawlspace but didn't cause any damage

  • The resident has dug a small trench along the garage and north side of the house to convey floodwaters out to the street (street had minimal flooding and ends in a major drainageway)

  • The resident had also raised landscape bricking around the house and crawlspace entrance to reduce floodwater inundation

  • Only 2-3" of water entered the crawlspace

4500 Block of s cherokee 

The resident at this location has lived at the property for over 20 years.

  • Resident noted that the floodway located directly south of the home fills with water every time it rains

  • Resident also noted that the inlets get clogged, and has only ever seen the inlets cleaned once. She cleans the top whenever she sees them get clogged but noted that she cannot reach the inside

  • There has been no damage to the house, but landscaping has been washed out and the water seems to 'get closer' every year as the storms get larger and runoff is increasing

4600 Block of s lincoln 

The resident at this property had reported garage flooding and basement flooding during the major storm event of 2018.

  • Resident noted 2-3' of water entered his garage from the alley

  • No water entered the home or garage from the street, only the alley

  • Water entered the basement, but the main door kept most of the water out and the carpet was the only thing that had to be replaced

  • The resident noted that two houses to the north of this property, the owner had build a 2.5- concrete floodwall around his sliding glass door on the side of the house that faces the alley. This was successful in keeping all floodwaters out of the house. 

4600 Block of s bannock 

The resident at this property is very active in the community.

  • Resident noted that the inlet in the back alley clogs easily and all flooding issues come from the alley

  • Resident noted flooding in houses surrounding her property

  • Resident also noted that a significant amount of water entered the basement of her house from water that came from the alley

4600 Block of s bannock 

The resident at this location has lived at this property for 12-13 years.

  • Resident noted that 2-3' of water came from the alley and flowed towards the front of her house

  • Water flowed mostly to the south and out to the street; basically no water came into the front yard

  • The back fence was broken down due to water pressure

  • The northern fence also broke down; the neighbor to the north's gate was found nearly half a mile down the block

  • Water entered the home because hail broke one of the back windows and the water pressure in the basement busted out the egress window in the front of the house

4800 Block of s grant

The resident at this property has lived here for 4-5 years.

  • Resident noted that water came over the sidewalk and to the north side of his house

  • Due to a berm in his neighbor's yard, the water piled up around his fence and entered his northernmost window wells

  • Water washed out landscaping in the back yard

  • Resident is considering installing egress windows

  • Alley flooding in this area was reported to be minor

  • Resident also noted that the City 'rarely cleans the drains'

3100 Block of s downing

The resident at this property has reported no damage to her house due to flooding.

  • Resident notes that the sump in the street directly to the south of the house can pool up to 3.5-4'

  • Cars drive through the water and create huge waves that cause landscape damage to neighboring properties

  • Water does not reach the house but instead comes about 10' up the front yard

4500 Block of s delaware

The resident at this property noted that he had recently done grading work to remediate flooding at this property and that flooding was no longer an issue.

  • Resident noted that all neighborhood flooding was confined to the streets, and neither street nor alley flows made it into his yard. 

  • Resident has an outdoor stairwell to the basement in the back, but has recently regraded the yard to slope away from the stairs

4800 Block of sherman

The residents at this location have recently moved into this house; they worked with the city when building the house to ensure it was properly flood-safe.

  • The house sustained no damaged during floods of 2018

  • Water came about 4' up the yard and washed out some mulch landscaping

  • Residents noted that the water came from the south and went northwest

  • Residents have french drains installed along the side of the driveway.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Thank you to the citizens of Englewood and the City of Englewood for submitting flooding photos and videos for inclusion in this study.

  • Dolores L

  • Valerie K

  • Casey H

  • Robert T

  • Joy B

  • Anna P

  • Mike T

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Published June 11, 2019

Revised December 2, 2019

Revised February 5, 2020

Revised March 17, 2020

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