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Funding sought for Washington County landslips

Photo by Janelle Patterson OSU Extension community development specialist Darlene Lukshin and Washington County Engineer Roger Wright examine a slip on Township Road 331 Thursday.

MARIETTA — Emergency funds are being pursued across southern and eastern Ohio following February’s constant rainfall and resulting landslips.

“Excessive rainfall saturated the soil,” said Ashley Rittenhouse, public information officer for Ohio Department of Transportation District 10. “The water soaks into the soil and gets down to the rock underneath and the water running on top of the rock forms a slip plane. (Then) friction is reduced along this slip plane and when the loss of friction becomes too great, the weight of the soil causes it to slide off of the rock. This causes a slip.”

Not only is ODOT looking at 46 locations on state routes in the district, but Washington County Engineer Roger Wright is also working with local township trustees to hopefully have emergency aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Ohio Public Works Commission.

“We have a lot of clay soils laying overtop of rock in the county,” Wright said. “And it’s cumulative. Starting in November when we started having really cold weather and there was a deep freeze, but then towards the end of January we had a rapid thaw.”

Noting freeze and thaw are typical of winter, combining the quick change from 10 degrees one day to 70 degrees the next left the soil open, he said.

“Then we got massive rain,” he said.

According to the National Weather Service, the area was hit with between five and 10 inches of rain in February.

The Marietta Wastewater Treatment Plant documented 7.59 inches of water in Marietta.

“Landslips and slides are typical every spring,” noted Wright. “But that’s usually only 10 to 15, with maybe a really wet spring yielding 20 to 25. And yet here we’re looking at more than 140.”

ODOT, The Ohio State University Extension Office, Wright and Marietta City Engineer Joe Tucker have documented slips and landslides on 95 township roads, 46 locations on state routes, 37 on county roads and four within the two cities in Washington County.

“We met with FEMA Wednesday,” said Darlene Lukshin, community development specialist with the OSU extension office. “But the earliest I’m guessing we’ll hear back will be mid-April.”

After Ohio Gov. John Kasich issued a proclamation declaring a state of emergency in 17 Ohio counties on Feb. 24, the Ohio Emergency Operations Center looked to the counties to supply data on damage created from the intense rains between Feb. 14 and Feb. 26.

“The state is requesting we complete the public assistance and individual assistance paperwork,” Washington County EMA Director Rich Hays wrote in an email to Wright on Feb. 26. “There is no guarantee that we will be able to reach threshold to meet presidential disaster declaration (FEMA). The (state) threshold is just over $17 million to meet requirements.”

The county and township road tally based on Wright and Lukshin’s calculations and some added estimates from contractors in the county is about $3.5 million.

The city of Marietta is pursuing emergency OPWC funds for the slips on Hillcrest Drive and Channel Lane, the latter of which happened in the final weekend of February, Tucker said.

“The Hillcrest one will be discussed in a special (Marietta City Council) Streets Committee meeting on March 28,” Tucker said.

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