PORT CLINTON, Ohio — The flooding problems Port Clinton experienced last year are still impacting local businesses.
Like last year, a now common sight in Port Clinton is water creeping over the river bank at Madison Street and the surrounding boat dock areas.
This is due to Lake Erie water levels sitting at a 10-year high.
Mayor Mike Snider says the city has been able to mitigate some flood damage with small projects like rerouting sewer drains, but the flooding is not damaging enough property for the city to receive state aid in finding a permanent solution.
"It hasn't really done the tremendous amount of structural damage. So the insurance claims in the impacted area haven't equated to tipping the scales in our direction in order to draw in some funding that way," said Snider.
Currently, the solution is to work with the Army Corps of Engineers in building up the sea wall between the Jet Express and the Jefferson Street pier.
But that plan is on standby until the city is able to collect enough funding to pay for the construction.
"It's a simple, yet very, very expensive solution. We have some engineering estimates that put it in the $4 to $4.5 million range to do that. And unfortunately with the city budget of $12.5 million, it's impossible to take that on ourselves." Snider said.
Now, on the optimistic side, the Army of Corps of Engineers are saying these higher Lake Erie water levels should peak by the end of May as opposed to last year where the water levels were higher all summer.
