Chadbourn Rain Led to Surprise Downstream

When Whiteville City Manager Darren Currie left City Hall Sunday night around 9 p.m., “the streets were mostly clear.

“Our stormwater system had handled what rain we received,” he said. “The areas that have problems still had some water on them, but most of it was clear.”

He expected some stormwater runoff from the west and northwest, Currie said. He had been in Chadbourn a few hours prior, and “there was some water standing on every street I saw.

“They got hit was eleven, twelve inches,” he said. “It was still raining steady there. We knew we would get it eventually, but not that much at once.”

He said Monday’s flooding in downtown was not unexpected, although the sped and volume were an unpleasant surprise.

“Virtually everything to our west and northwest flows through Soules Swamp to the river,” Currie said. “It has to come through here. We felt pretty confident – it had been dry, and the swamp was low. There was plenty of room for the water to go through.

“Then it all came at once.”

Currie said city crews were out preparing for the storm when it appeared that there might be significant rain here. The city established a “stormwater team” several years ago to maintain city-owned drainage components on a full-time basis. When the crews aren’t working on stormwater, they handle other Public Works tasks.

The city was as ready as it could be, Currie said, and even taking into account the runoff from upstream, “we felt pretty good.

“While it was raining we were okay,” he said. “Our stormwater system handled what rain fell on us. It’s the water coming downstream that really killed us.”

Although the floodwaters fell fairly quickly Monday, the damage was done to many flood-prone areas in the city, Currie said.

“We are continuing to work on stormwater issues,” he said. “It’s a major problem for our residents and businesses.  We are not ignoring the problems, but it’s a matter of money. Whiteville is built on a swamp, and you can see in the old photographs that the areas that flood the worst are the ones that were filled. That water naturally goes into those low areas.”
Currie said the city is working on multiple projects, including restoring permeable surfaces and green spaces to help absorb runoff, finalizing a deal with R.J. Corman Railroad to improve drainage along the rail bed, and other efforts. Stormwater is a priority with the city, he said, because flooding is always going to be an issue in Whiteville.

“Unless you can find a way to keep that water from coming downstream,” he said, “we’re going to have flooding issues.”