FINDLAY, Ohio — Findlay has been up to its ankles in water on and off for well over a decade, whenever the Blanchard River, which runs through downtown Findlay, overflows.
Now, leaders from the city and Hancock County are optimistic they are close to finally putting Findlay's flooding issues behind them.
It's a problem they've been trying to get under control since at least the early part of the century.
Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn says $24 million in FEMA funding through the Flood Hazard Mitigation Grant will go towards completing the remaining projects that should have a major impact on lowering water levels in the city during high water events.
City leaders say it's something they've been committed to addressing but issues like COVID and personnel changes have delayed the project time and time again.
Mayor Muryn says this grant from FEMA will help get them over the finish line.
"So with this funding, it's really the final money that we needed to get these projects moving in the next year. So I'm very excited. It's going to have a huge impact on our community,” said Muryn.
Mayor Muryn says the work that has already been done, such as phase 1 benching, has already been a step in the right direction, but the remaining projects will make an even bigger difference.
Those projects include the Eagle Creek Basin and phase 2 benching.
"Those projects, once complete, all together will decrease the flood waters in a 100-year storm event by three feet in downtown Finley and certainly will have a broader impact on the entire community, removing over 2,000 parcels from the flood plain,” said Muryn.
WTOL 11 spoke to a number of residents in Downtown Findlay who are optimistic about this mitigation project and what it can do for the city moving forward.
"It would mean a lot of less families in distress and a lot more opportunities for family. I know the flooding in '07 definitely impacted a lot of families, including mine, and I would love to help eliminate that,” said Alexis Tyson, Lives in Findlay.
Che Brindle, who lives in Findlay is hopeful the projects will provide some security for businesses in Findlay which have been significantly impacted by flooding through the years..
"So it's nice to see some steps that are taken that help improve security for businesses, residents, and all that. So it's good, there's still some things to do, but they made some good progress,” said Che Brindle, Lives in Findlay.
Work on the remaining flood mitigation projects could begin as early as 2025 or 2026.
MORE FROM WTOL 11: