NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Even as Eastern Kentucky’s flooding remains top of mind, a flooding fiasco in a Nicholasville neighborhood has residents calling for help.
When rain rolled in on Wednesday, a handful of Nicholasville residents recorded videos of murky water sweeping down their streets. Upstream, construction is underway on a new housing division. Some neighbors believe the project has altered the terrain, leading to more stormwater runoff than usual.
Shoveling a pile of gravel that ended up on the street in front of his house, Bob Sherman has been getting a lot of use out of his snow shovel this summer.
“That’s probably, I’d say 50 to 100 pounds altogether by the time I get it all in a heap,” said Sherman, a shovel in hand.
In social media posts, residents in the neighborhood have called on local leaders to address the mess.
He can’t pinpoint the culprit of the gravel and muck, but since Ball Homes began construction, Sherman’s gravel piles have only gotten bigger.
In a statement from Ball Homes, they said “We have an approved plan for stormwater and erosion control, and we have not only followed it but adjusted and gone over and above what is required on it for control and other features.”
Still, homeowners on both sides of the block are noticing a difference in their summer storm runoff.
“It actually filled up this drainage hole back here and I’ve never seen it this full,” said resident Olivia Mayer, pointing out the massive hole in a neighboring lot.
“Hopefully we don’t get another storm like that, it was a doozy,” said Mayer.
Whether an increase in rain, impacts of new construction, or a combination of the two, residents hope to make Nicholasville officials aware of the issues.
According to the director of public utilities and finance, Bob Amato, additional plans for mitigation are in the works, and communication between Ball Homes, Nicholasville, and impacted residents is underway. In the meantime, he asks for patience when the next storm rolls through.
