Drainage problems would cost Bartholomew County millions to fix

Fixing drainage problems at two northern Bartholomew County subdivisions would cost millions of dollars.

Bartholomew County Commissioners were told yesterday that even the most economical way to stop storm water from rising in the Armuth Acres and North Cliff subdivisions, north of the Columbus Municipal Airport, would cost more than $4.7 million dollars. That option, of the four presented from a recently completed study by Strand Associates, would involve improving drainage within the subdivisions themselves, then moving the water westerly through ditches in agricultural areas along County Road 600N, eventually dumping it into the Flat Rock River. Steve Ruble with Strand said the most expensive option outlined would involve a pumping station and cost more than $13 million dollars. A fifth option would make no changes, Ruble said.

None of the options have been formally adopted, no source of county funding to fix the problem has been identified nor a timeline established. Trena Carter, the county’s grant advisor with ARA, said that a maximum of $600,000 in funds could be available to mitigate the problem from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

Commissioners yesterday approved spending $3,850 dollars as the county’s share towards the grant funding the study.