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Southside neighbors worry about flooding ‘every time it rains’

Posted at 11:32 PM, Jun 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-08 09:47:57-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- Much of Central Virginia was under a flood advisory Friday as heavy rain fell  around Richmond. But for one South Richmond Neighborhood, water flooded into streets causing concern from those living there.

"It`s absolutely very common for it to flood," said Delores Williams, "Every time it rains basically."

Delores Williams lives near the intersection of Roanoke St. and Dunston St. in South Richmond.

"We had a terrible flood last summer where the water went all the way up and across the street and across my lawn," said Victoria Maddocks.

Victoria Maddocks has lived on Dunston Street since 2016.

"In that flood I lost my car, my basement had a foot and half of sewage in it and the repercussions of that were very expensive and time consuming to deal with," said Maddocks.

While others like Williams believe there needs to be more drainage in the area.

"See how the water just runs, it`s running into my yard, you see. And then the rest is going down there," said Williams. "But there`s only one at the corner."

"It`s shifting my foundation and I showed you the pictures and I showed you the video. So, it`s not nice," Williams added.

Now they`re hoping the city can do something.

"And I was told that no uncertain terms that it was an isolated weather event and that the city bore no responsibility for it," said Maddocks.

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities sent CBS 6 a statement on the issue:

"The Stormwater utility of the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) takes all requests about drainage issues  seriously and encourages the public to submit their requests to RVA311.com or call the DPU Customer Care Center at 646-4646. DPU’s Stormwater utility is responsible for the maintenance and operation of drop inlets and storm drainage infrastructure within the city. However, a creek or stream within the city limits that floods due to the intensity of the rainfall is not the responsibility of the City of Richmond.  While our crews will investigate each request, and do everything within our capabilities to alleviate a resident’s concern, the city does not own the creeks.  DPU’s Stormwater Utility does have some “limited authority” to clear streams and creeks of blockages (e.g. logjams) for safety purposes and the improvement of conveyance, but that is where our responsibility ends."

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