Another Study for Another Problem ...

It has come to HistoricVienna.com's attention that residents on the 300 block of Lewis Street are fed up with the water problem they have been experiencing for years.

Our question is how much money should be spent on a "study" to say that sidewalk, curb and gutter is needed in NW Vienna?

May 17, 2008
Mayor M. Jane Seeman and Council Members
Town of Vienna
127 Center Street, South
Vienna, VA 22180

RE: Need for Stormwater Management Improvements on the 300 Block of Lewis St., NW

Honorable Mayor Seeman and Council Members:

We, the undersigned residents of the 300 Block of Lewis Street, NW, hereby request that you authorize and fund adequate stormwater improvements to remedy the severe flooding problems that affect our neighborhood. These problems have existed for at least 18 years and have caused serious property damage to many of our neighbors. Our neighbors on and near the 400 Block of Lewis Street may have similar problems, but we didn’t have time to survey them before submitting this letter to you.

At least 10 neighbors report heavy flooding or rushing streams of stormwater through their properties, up to 6 inches deep and often 20 feet wide (at times, more), during heavy rains. Neighbors have lost thousands of dollars (sometimes repeatedly) in ruined carpets, warped hardwood floors, ruined appliances, and rotted and destabilized fences from frequent high flooding. Some of our neighbors have installed expensive drainage and landscaping improvements simply to keep the stormwater out of their homes. Four neighbors maintain permanent sandbags to prevent flooding, and a couple had resorted to special door treatments to prevent infiltration. Several of us have discussed these problems in the past with Town government officials, with no satisfactory resolution. Detailed complaints of some of our neighbors are attached. We are exasperated and angry and believe this isn’t just the problem of individual homeowners but of the Town. Here’s why.

Even though some of the flooding waters come onto our property across our neighbors’ yards, this is not a neighbor-on-neighbor complaint. The culprits are the cumulative effects of development in this section of the Town and the lack of an adequate stormwater system for our neighborhood. We live in a basin bounded on at least three sides by slopes that drain onto our properties from hundreds of feet, even blocks, away. And much of the stormwater that flows over our private properties comes off public
right- of-ways, in some cases by design and in others by default.

We will have representatives present at your May 20 work session on capital projects budgeting and would be happy to supply any additional information you or staff may need. John Mooney (who lives with his wife, Meg Sullivan, at 314 Lewis Street) has agreed to serve as our contact for the time being; he can be reached at jmooney7@verizon.net or 703-477-8460.

Sincerely,

THE LEWIS STREET NEIGHBORS
(see attached signatures)

/s/
Meg Sullivan, 314 Lewis
John Mooney, 314 Lewis
Jean Coles, 318 Lewis
Julius Coles, 318 Lewis
Peter McKeen, 333 Lewis
Ruth McKeen, 333 Lewis
Young Gallmetzer, 310 Lewis
Sherry Dart, 331 Lewis
Peter and Mildred Secor, 306 Lewis
Carol Beurmann, 327 Lewis
Michael Beurmann, 327 Lewis
John Lucca, 323 Lewis
Carla Peterson, 304 Lewis
Erik Peterson, 304 Lewis
Frances English, 322 Lewis
Lyn Beer, 302 Lewis
Lori Beer, 302 Lewis
William Padgett, 300 Lewis
Mary Padgett, 300 Lewis
Ronald Frank, 337 Lewis
Twyla Frank, 337 Lewis

ATTACHMENTS: Signature sheet and individual stormwater complaints
CC: John H. Schoeberlein, Town Manager

Neighbors’ Individual Stormwater Complaints (5/2008)

302 Lewis Lawrence (Lori) and Lyn Beer
• After heavy rains, a flow of water up to 6” deep and 20’ wide runs through their back yard.

304 Lewis Erik and Carla Peterson
• A “river” flows through their back yard after rains, leaving mud deposits.
• Because of the elevation of their house, they have had no flooding of their house.

306 Lewis Peter and Marie-Mildred Secor
• After heavy rains, a stream of water 6” deep and 8’ wide runs through their back yard.
• They can’t build anything along their fence because of the water.
• They are worried about flooding of their home.
• Several years ago, within 10 minutes of a watermain break on Knoll Street, their backyard was flooded.

310 Lewis Young Sum Gallmetzer
• She has sandbags around a ground-level vent at the front of her house.
• She has a large stream of water flowing through her back yard during heavy rains.
• In such cases, water comes into her house from her flooded backyard.

314 Lewis Meg Sullivan and John Mooney
• The lower level of this split-level have been flooded almost annually since the current owner moved here, three times severe flooding, and once by 3 inches of water. Water has flooded their whole back yard during especially heavy rains, up to an inch deep on the concrete back patio door.
• The owner has had to replace the carpet and wooden flooring twice in the lower level.
• The owner had to calk shut a ground-floor door to have peace of mind before an extended absence.
• The owner has permanently sandbagged the side door (at grade entrance to the lower level) to protect against heavy rains when the owner is absent.
• The owner has to set the alarm clock during heavy night rains in order to check sandbags and wet vacuum the lower level.
• During the recent May 11 storm, a flow of several hundreds of gallons per minute formed a swiftly moving stream 4-6 inches deep and 8-20 feet wide through the back and side yard for about three hours, requiring John to bail water from the protective sandbag dike the whole while.

318 Lewis Julius and Jean Coles
• Serious flooding of their back and side yards began when the Orchard Court development was built about 1988.
• This flooding caused destabilization and rotting of their backyard fence, resulting in a $2000 repair cost.
• They have permanently sandbagged their grade-level door to the lower level of their split-level home.
• Water came into their basement 2-3 times after especially heavy rains. The worst basement flooding was several years ago during the heavy rains with frozen snow on the ground.

322 Lewis Neill and Frances English
• Three years ago, their house flooded and their family-room carpeting was ruined.
• Since then, they have had to reframe and replace the rear door to their home, and have sandbagged that door both outside and inside.

327 Lewis Mike and Carol Beurmann
• Had to install French drains around their house (rear and front) at the cost of $6500, because of frequent flooding into basement. They had to replace their carpet once @~$600.
• Their back shed still floods and accumulates mud after heavy rains.
• Heavy rains still create a swampy area between their and the Darts’ house.
• The gullies and pipes along Lewis Street fill up with debris after heavy rains.

331 Lewis Bob and Sherrie Dart
• Their basement has flooded when their sump pump went out during a heavy rain. Once it was so bad that they had to replace their hot-water heater and furnace.
• Water pools in their back yard after rain.

333 Lewis Peter and Ruth McKeen
• Significant streams of water come down the hill into their backyard and threaten their house during heavy rains, despite an elaborate berm and drainage system (~$5000) they installed in 2006.
• Their first-floor carpet was damaged in 2006.