"There were cars underwater and it was pouring rain and it was dark and it was terrifying." Mary Ann Gaston recalls the early morning hours of July 26th, 2022. Gaston was startled awake at 4 am by a neighbor, saying their University City street was overflowing with water and they should move their truck to higher ground.
There was no time. "By the time we were awake and out there, there was no way to get to it because the water was already up to the wheel wells. My basement flooded in 12 minutes." Soon her house was surrounded by more than 4 feet of water. "Eventually two feet of water seeped under my doorways into my first floor living space." They sought refuge in the upper level, fearful of the structural integrity of their home under the onslaught of flash flood waters.
Nearby resident Don Fitz says the neighborhood had never experienced any type of flooding that severe before. He and other members of the University Heights Association Flood Task Force have been trying to pin point reasons for the extreme flooding, as well as find for solutions so that it never happens again.
Based on surveys by another task force member with decades of experience as an earth science professor at Washington University, they've zeroed in on what they believe was one of the major contributors to last year's devastating floods. It's a capped portion of the River Des Peres -- a tunnel -- originally constructed by University City and purchased by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District in the '50's.
They believe that tunnel became clogged with debris contributing to the magnitude of flooding. "I didn't even know until recently that water could pick up pieces of concrete that would be ten feet long, heavier than a car," explains Fitz. That concrete, he says, came from the sides of the River Des Peres itself and combined with smaller debris to block the channel. A year later he says many of those slabs remain, raising fears of repeat flooding.
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KMOX reached out to the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. MSD says it does perform routine maintenance but is not convinced removing the slabs of concrete that remain would make a significant impact. A spokesperson tells KMOX that debris is not the issue, it's the size of the entrance to the tunnel. MSD contends the opening was not large enough to take in the historic volume of rainfall that came down in July of 2022. The agency also points out, the area is designated as a flood plain by FEMA.
Fitz and his neighbors say the time for finger pointing is over. He wants the state legislature to step in and determine who's responsible for the channel.
The association has called together stakeholders from the federal, state and local levels for a meeting on the anniversary of the flood, July 26th, to chart out solutions.
Both MSD and the residents we spoke with say buyouts are needed. Fitz also wants a long term solution for the River Des Peres, to widen it and return it to a more natural state, able to accommodate larger rainfalls.
A year after flooding some homes are still vacant, others like Mary Ann Gaston's home are still under restoration, and there a few that remain in a state of disrepair.
WHO: Flood Task Force / University Heights Association
WHAT: The Flood of 2022: Charting a Path Forward
WHERE: University City High School, 7401 Balson, University City MO 63130
WHEN: 7:00 pm Wednesday, July 26, 2023
SPEAKING:
Dr. Robert Criss, Washington University, Professor Emeritus of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Darin Girdler. University City Director of Public Works
Brian Hoelscher, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Executive Director and CEO
Senator Brian Williams, Missouri District 14
Danielle Spradley, Staff of U.S. Representative Cori Bush
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