"It doesn't appear the problem is insurmountable," the Rev. Roy
Daugherty, chairman of the group of residents in the Briceville and Fraterville
communities, told the county's Operations Committee Monday night.
He advocated the removal of debris and dead wood from the creek as a
short-term fix to the flooding problem.
Furthermore, he said, the top layers of the silt peninsulas need to be
removed so the floodwaters will flow over them rather than backing up behind
them, leading to flooding of homes.
In addition, the pastor at Briceville Community Church said something needs
to be done to stop people from removing river rocks from the creek bed. This
adds to the problem, he said.
"They're carrying the creek beds off," Daugherty said.
Johnson's letter of recommendations on dealing with Coal Creek points to
several conflicts in dealing with the problem on a long-term basis. These
conflicts include the fact that many of the homes are located within the
100-year flood plain and that any work to correct the creek's problems at one
location could lead to problems downstream.
On a short-term basis he proposed:
The committee, meeting at the Anderson County Courthouse, listened to
citizens. They asked Barry Thacker, who is spearheading an effort to improve the
Coal Creek watershed by obtaining federal or state funds for work, to give his
presentation on the creek at 6 p.m. Monday in Room 312 of the Courthouse for the
public to hear.
The creek has not been cleaned up in approximately 20 years, although in the
past the County Commission approved a pact to allocate $15,000 to creek cleanup
each year. The county had also entered a pact with the Tennessee Valley
Authority to keep the creek clear of debris and silt that would cause flooding.
In other committee action, the commissioners:
* Removing debris from railroad and highway bridge supports along the creek.
* Preparing an emergency response plan. Daugherty pointed out that Briceville
has warning sirens to alert people of the flooding but that Fraterville does
not.
* Developing criteria to evaluate properties for help in controlling erosion.
* Evaluating locations along the creek that could be used for flow control
structures such as weir dams.
* Heard a report from Scientific and Technical Resources STR Secure Storage
division in Oak Ridge. The company is offering to store the county's records,
which by law must be maintained.
* Agreed to get County Attorney David Clark's opinion on whether the county can
continue to allow game hunting on the county's property near Blockhouse Valley
Road in Clinton and whether signs should be posted. The area also contains a
potentially hazardous former landfill and the Sheriff's Department firing range,
and is a location for several school environmental programs.