BAY MINETTE – A pair of storms dumped over a foot of rain on Bay Minette in less than 48 hours last summer. The flooding that resulted forced city officials to take a closer look at drainage problems.

The previous City Council contracted with Volkert Engineering to do a drainage study. Work got under way in December and the preliminary results have divided the city into three drainage basins (Bay Minette Creek, Styx River and Hollinger Creek) and have identified several bottlenecks that can cause problems.

On June 10, 2012, Bay Minette received 6 inches of rain. The following day, another 8 inches fell, leading to widespread flooding, especially on the south end of town in districts 4 and 5.

“We have drainage issues all over town, but some areas are worse than others,” said mayor Bob Wills. “The question is coming up with money. Fixing these kinds of problems can be very expensive.

Volkert project manager Andy James said most of the early work on the study has been hands-on, people walking the area and inspecting culverts, pipes and drainage channels. Field reviews are traditionally less expensive that surveying.

One problem they noticed was at the end of East Hurricane Road, just past Moran Street.

“It’s one of the larger basins and it all funnels through one culvert under the railroad tracks,” said James. He said that portion of the Styx River basin drained up to Railroad Street and west to Highway 59.

Replacing the culvert with a larger one would be a simple fix, but very expensive. That would involve relocating the railroad to cut through the tracks to install the larger culvert. James noted that railroads generally frown on cutting rails.

The more cost-effective solution could be building a detention pond just upstream. In the event of heavy rains, the pond would hold back most of the water, releasing it slowly.

“One of the benefits of using a detention pond, is you would not have to upgrade culverts downstream,” said James.

Wills cited another advantage, the city already owns a parcel of land at the intersection of Hurricane and Moran.

James said the study would look at all the city and try to figure out ways to tie drainage projects in with utility and capital improvement projects. Doing so will make the work more likely to receive funding through the Community Development Block Grant program.

The study will also develop guidelines that could be fashioned into a drainage ordinance. That could spell an increase in the minimum size of pipe used for culverts.

“A soccer ball and leaves can stop up a 12-inch pipe,” said James. “That can lead to localized flooding and cause a lot of damage to structures. If you go to an 18-inch minimum, you avoid that problem all together.”

The study will also look at are limiting the materials used for culverts as well as open ditches vs. covered storm drains.

There is not a set timeframe on when the study will be completed. Any projects would be based on the availability of funding.