Foley improving drainage in Beulah Heights area

FOLEY – Foley is moving forward with plans to improve drainage in the Beulah Heights community.

The Foley City Council recently approved funding for the design of the project to improve drainage in the community south of U.S. 98 and east of Juniper Street.

Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the project in an initial step in efforts to improve drainage in the area.

“The city’s goal is to improve drainage throughout the entire Beulah Heights Community which will be done with additional projects,” Hellmich said. “This is an important first step.”

Leslie Gahagan, Foley sustainability director, said the city will make major enhancements to the regional detention pond in the community. The project also includes maintenance work on the site and improving the outlet structure for the site.

The city will also clean out the pipes draining into the pond.

She said the work will improve the flow of storm-water into the detention site and allow better drainage from the pond into Wolf Creek.

The area sometimes floods in heavy rains. Much of the community was developed before modern stormwater regulations were enacted.

The proposal includes videoing, vacuuming and jetting the drainage pipes flowing into the Michigan Avenue detention pond.

She said the project will also improve the quality of water draining from the area and into Wolf Creek..

“We can remove sediment and pollutants prior to discharging into Wolf Creek,” she said.

The pond on Michigan Avenue was designed to store the water draining from a 50-year storm. The area, however, has experienced flooding from 10-year storm events.

An engineering study of the site found that the improvements are needed to increase storage capacity and improve discharge efficiency.

Pond improvements will also be needed to accommodate growth in the area that could affect runoff to the site.

Maintenance work is also needed to remove sediment and improve the flow of water from the pond to accommodate the effect of major storms.

Grant funding has been secured to help pay some of the costs of the project.