The citizens of the Kanawha County town of Rand have experienced problems with flooding from faulty storm sewers for decades. Without a municipal government, the unincorporated town has been unable to do much about it.
West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) is stepping in with planning expertise and funding to correct the long-standing problem. Beyond the scope of work typically performed by WVDOT, WVDOT is taking it on with enthusiasm. The flooding that has long impacted the town also impacts the accessibility and maintenance of the roads.
“The Transportation Department is taking this on because there’s a need in Rand,” said Jason Foster, P.E., WVDOT Chief Engineer of Development. “We’re taking it onto try to provide relief, over and above what we would normally do.”
WVDOT is responsible only for the roadways and drains connected to the road, while key drainage structures which will need necessary work are also located on properties owned by individuals or businesses. Coordination and advance planning work will be necessary to ensure as little disruption as possible in completing the complicated set of projects.
Doug Kirk, P.E., WVDOT Chief Engineer of Environmental Compliance, said that when the community of Rand was first developed more than 100 years ago, storm sewers and sanitary sewers ran together. At some point the sanitary sewers were separated, but no one really kept track of the storm sewers, which fell into disrepair. |
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