by Kate Shunney

Ongoing efforts by watershed volunteers, the Town of Bath and the Morgan County Commission to reduce the effects of periodic flooding in downtown Berkeley Springs could move from planning discussions to solutions with the help of federal water resources funding.

At their September 3 meeting, county officials heard from Christi Hicks, Assistant State Conservationist for Water Resources for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Rebecca MacLeod of the Warm Springs Run Watershed Association about the next steps in a watershed protection plan for the Warm Springs Run.

The run flows from the area of Tractor Supply northward along U.S. 522, through the center of Berkeley Springs and beyond.

Hicks said the Town of Bath — the primary party in the plan — will have to make some decisions soon about exploring some of the  protective options presented by an engineering consultant who has done the bulk of the planning work.

“The town, in consultation with the County Commission, will decide which options should be explored,” she said.

Two options that could “have a measurable impact” to reduce future flooding have risen to the top of the list, said Hicks.

One is the construction of “offline storage” of stormwater in a valley area behind the Walgreens store along U.S. 522. That project could look like a constructed wetlands area, they said.

A second good option is the addition of a box culvert under the roadway along the Warm Springs Run between Congress and Mercer streets.

Other options considered were widening the run, adding a significantly-sized box culvert in the run and creating new flood control dams. Most were too costly to be realistic, they said.

A wetlands stormwater area and a small box culvert “have a net benefit,” Hicks said.

“None of these will stop a 100-year flood event. What they will do is reduce the impact on residents and businesses,” she said.

The Town of Bath can apply for funds to finish the watershed plan and design the chosen solutions, then further pursue those options if they’re viable.

The NRCS could pay 100% of the cost of designing the solutions and would pay for construction of approved solutions.

MacLeod said she has had conversations with landowners near Walgreens about their experience with stormwater and floodplain issues.

She said adding a box culvert near the Commercial Shearing building could have special interest as the culvert could add sidewalk space for pedestrians at that location.

“Sometimes you wind up with something better than you have now,” said MacLeod.

Hicks recommended the commissioners offer a “written concurrence” with the Town of Bath to move forward to explore the flood control options, especially in the case of the Walgreens area, which is outside of the Town of Bath limits.

Commissioners asked Hicks to assist with the wording of a motion that they can consider at their next meeting. They said they were in favor of moving ahead to design the two flood control options, especially in light of the funding available to do the design and construction.

“It’s cheaper to do preventative work than cleanup after,” MacLeod said.