Maps of a new 100-year floodplain were presented during Morgan County’s board meeting on Apr. 4, reported The Reporter-Times. The maps were provided by Christopher B. Burke Engineering.
Indiana's Morgan County Surveyor Terry Brock provided updated maps of the floodplain which showed that due to the construction of Artesian Avenue, some of the property is considered to be in a flood zone.
According to Morgan County, some existing homes in Artesian Acres are considered to be part of the floodplain. The county has drainage concerns from proposed developments on the south side of Martinsville, which uses Sartor Ditch and Hilldale-Cemetery Ditch to drain storm water away, reported The Reporter-Times.
Burke Engineering did a study on both ditches and the impacts of construction of I-69. Sartor Ditch was used for storm water drainage in Martinsville and Hilldale-Cemetery Ditch drained water from farm fields south of town, reported The Reporter-Times.
Water from both flows into Indiana Creek, then White River, and when the water level in White River gets high, water from Indian Creek is slowed or cannot flow into it, backing up and flooding low-lying areas.
According to The Reported Times, in 2008 a large area on the south side of Martinsville, including homes, businesses, and a school, were flooded and damaged or destroyed.
The new proposed subdivision is known as Hanna Farms and there are questions around if it is built and then has drainage issues.
The county has not seen any plans from the developer and the county does not have any requirements to have said drainage plans approved by the county,
According to the proposed plan, the entire Hanna Farms subdivision is expected to have around 280 homes and be constructed over two phases in the next three years.
According to Brock, the county may have to file a lawsuit against the city over drainage in the area, because a developer is supposed to retain water on their property and not allow any more to drain off.
