Flooding Causes Problems For Syracuse Businesses
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
Syracuse Public Works Superintendent Clint Houseworth said there is a channel that comes off Syracuse Lake and Lake Wawasee that is near the wetland.[[In-content Ad]]The wetland is behind the Subway and Northern Lakes Family Medicine, another business located next to Subway, whose front and back parking lots also were flooded with water Wednesday.
A corner of the channel's embankment caved in, causing the channel to release water into the wetland and flood out the surrounding area, Houseworth said.
The town lowered the dam Tuesday night to relieve water, and called state representatives and the governor's office to seek assistance to control the flooding. Houseworth said the town contacted both groups because there was too much water and the town did not have the authority or equipment to pump the lake.
As of this morning, Houseworth said the town has not heard back from anyone.
"We have the responsibility as a town to control public streets and provide community service, but the flooding is a bigger problem than we can handle by ourselves as a town," Houseworth said.
Syracuse Subway Manager Jody Ruch said she first noticed a large amount of water behind the parking lot that flowed up to the businesses' back door Tuesday morning when she came to work.
"I just thought the water came from melting snow from the weekend's snow storm," Ruch said.
However, Tuesday afternoon, she noticed the water running out front of the business's exterior that flooded the businesses' front parking lot.
Syracuse Subway closed Tuesday at 9 p.m. and was closed all day Wednesday, and remained closed this morning. Ruch said employees will continue to assess the situation this afternoon.
Phil Bloom, Indiana Department of Natural Resources communications director, said DNR was made aware of the issue Wednesday and the department's conservation officer looked at the flooding. It was determined the wetland does not belong to DNR.
He said DNR contacted the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and they are working with Kosciusko County Emergency Management Agency to control the flooding by making sandbags available.
A Subway maintenance employee pumped some of the water Wednesday, but there was 2 to 3 feet of water remaining in the businesses' front parking lot up to the entrance door, and 4 to 5 feet of water behind the business that flowed up to its back door.
Northern Lakes Family Medicine's front and back parking lots were flooded Wednesday.
The business held its regular hours until noon Wednesday and is open today.
The front of the business' parking lot was frozen this morning and the back parking lot was still flooded, according to office coordinator Diana Bowman.
Mike Sabones, meteorologist in charge for the Northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service, said weather will warm up beginning this afternoon and will be above freezing.
Over the weekend, there will be a weather system that comes in that will bring rain to the area with temperatures getting colder and snow possible.
Syracuse Public Works Superintendent Clint Houseworth said there is a channel that comes off Syracuse Lake and Lake Wawasee that is near the wetland.[[In-content Ad]]The wetland is behind the Subway and Northern Lakes Family Medicine, another business located next to Subway, whose front and back parking lots also were flooded with water Wednesday.
A corner of the channel's embankment caved in, causing the channel to release water into the wetland and flood out the surrounding area, Houseworth said.
The town lowered the dam Tuesday night to relieve water, and called state representatives and the governor's office to seek assistance to control the flooding. Houseworth said the town contacted both groups because there was too much water and the town did not have the authority or equipment to pump the lake.
As of this morning, Houseworth said the town has not heard back from anyone.
"We have the responsibility as a town to control public streets and provide community service, but the flooding is a bigger problem than we can handle by ourselves as a town," Houseworth said.
Syracuse Subway Manager Jody Ruch said she first noticed a large amount of water behind the parking lot that flowed up to the businesses' back door Tuesday morning when she came to work.
"I just thought the water came from melting snow from the weekend's snow storm," Ruch said.
However, Tuesday afternoon, she noticed the water running out front of the business's exterior that flooded the businesses' front parking lot.
Syracuse Subway closed Tuesday at 9 p.m. and was closed all day Wednesday, and remained closed this morning. Ruch said employees will continue to assess the situation this afternoon.
Phil Bloom, Indiana Department of Natural Resources communications director, said DNR was made aware of the issue Wednesday and the department's conservation officer looked at the flooding. It was determined the wetland does not belong to DNR.
He said DNR contacted the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and they are working with Kosciusko County Emergency Management Agency to control the flooding by making sandbags available.
A Subway maintenance employee pumped some of the water Wednesday, but there was 2 to 3 feet of water remaining in the businesses' front parking lot up to the entrance door, and 4 to 5 feet of water behind the business that flowed up to its back door.
Northern Lakes Family Medicine's front and back parking lots were flooded Wednesday.
The business held its regular hours until noon Wednesday and is open today.
The front of the business' parking lot was frozen this morning and the back parking lot was still flooded, according to office coordinator Diana Bowman.
Mike Sabones, meteorologist in charge for the Northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service, said weather will warm up beginning this afternoon and will be above freezing.
Over the weekend, there will be a weather system that comes in that will bring rain to the area with temperatures getting colder and snow possible.
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