Flooding in Riverside neighborhood an ‘ongoing problem’ for decades; City looking to fund fix

RIVERSIDE — Riverside residents on Ingleside Avenue and Marianne Drive have been known to deal with flooding for years and Tuesday’s heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida showed that again.

>>PREVIOUS REPORT: Heavy rain leaves part of Riverside street underwater Tuesday

Parts of the roadway were completely underwater Tuesday due to the rains. Residents told News Center 7′s Sean Cudahy when they get a lot of rain they have two options, stay put, or risk trying to drive through it.

“Very frustrating. Every where you go you got water all over the place,” Laverne McLaughlin told Cudahy.

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The flooding has been a problem for decades that’s only gotten worse over the years, according to Riverside city leaders.

“The flooding that occurred (Tuesday) in the Ingleside and Marianne areas has been an ongoing problem for over 20 years. It has gotten worse over time with residents filling in their roadway ditch and eliminating the driveway pipes,” Kathy Bartlett, Riverside Director of Public Service said in a statement Wednesday morning.

However despite the known issue and constant floods, the city doesn’t have the funds to fix the problem with the price tag over $1 million.

“The cost is in excess of a million dollars to install a storm water system. Currently there is no storm drainage in place,” she said.

Bartlett said the issue has been handed over to the voters before, with the city proposing funding for a fix that was voted down about 10 years ago. Now, the city is looking for alternatives to help fund the project and others.

“We are in preliminary stages of proposing a Storm Water User Fee to residents and businesses in Riverside. This would provide funding for projects like this,” Bartlett said.

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