PARKERSBURG — The floodwall in Parkersburg has stood for more than 70 years, its legacy measured by what it has prevented.

The massive wall of concrete and earth is 3 feet higher than the highest flood in recorded history, protecting numerous buildings in downtown and environs from floods of the Ohio River.

“The floodwall actually protects the whole city,” said J.R. Carpenter, a Parkersburg City Councilman whose District 5 is protected by the wall.

The Flood Control Act of June 1938 authorized the Parkersburg floodwall and other floodwalls across America. The act required local participation, which was approved by the city in July of that year. Cost of the project spearheaded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was $6.82 million, of which $6.52 million was federal and $300,000 was non-federal.

The floodwall was designed to protect against a flood of the highest in recorded history, the flood of March 29, 1913, when the river was at 58.9 feet, 22 feet above flood stage, according to a brochure prepared by the Corps of Engineers in April 1953. The wall and earthen levees of the floodwall are 3 feet above the 1913 flood.

Flood stage at Parkersburg is 36 feet, reached more than 70 times since 1832.

The Ohio River has reached flood stage and beyond 20 times since the flood wall was constructed, the highest on March 12, 1964, when the level was at 45.2 feet, the 13th highest in recorded history. Other notable dates in the 21st century are 43.73 feet on Sept. 19, 2004, 42.41 feet on Jan. 8, 2005, and 38.03 on March 6, 2011.

“As you can see from the crests of the river, everyone in the floodplain would have experienced substantial impacts on their property,” City Engineer Adam Stout said. “Not to mention that if everyone who is currently protected from floods by the floodwall would have to pay flood insurance on their properties, which in the zone it can be quite expensive.”

Without the floodwall, a flood at the 1913 level would reach from around Seventh Street to the river, Carpenter said. “All of Beechwood was in the flood zone, too,” he said.

“It has saved millions, if not billions, of dollars in the last 70 years,” Carpenter said.

Property owners in the area protected by the floodwall paid a fee each year. The fee, which last generated about $82,000 a year for maintenance, was removed effective Jan. 1, 2019.

Construction of the floodwall started in March 1946. It was completed in April 1950 with the official transfer of the facilities to the city of Parkersburg in May 1950 which was in charge of the operation and maintenance of the floodwall.

The first time the river crested after the wall was constructed was on Dec. 6, 1950, at 39.18 feet, a little more than 3 feet above flood stage.

The project consisted of 10,400 feet of concrete wall and 9,600 feet of earthen levee. The average height above the ground of the concrete wall and earthen levee is 21.5 and 22 feet, respectively, with the maximum height above ground at 30 feet for both.

Fourteen gates were installed, six pump stations, drainage structures and 1,900 feet of diversion channel for Pond Run.

The project used 63,000 cubic yards of concrete, 8,840,246 pounds of reinforcing steel and 600,100 cubic yards of earth.

Gate No. 1 is on Murdoch Avenue. The gate has never been assembled because of a flood.

The only time the No. 1 gate has been assembled was in September 2017 to comply with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers gave the floodwall an unacceptable rating because the gate was never assembled. The rating meant had there been a flood and the wall sustained “extraordinary” damage, the structure would be ineligible for federal rehabilitation funds.