Residents blame flooding on school site

By Uriah A. Kiser

Published: September 14, 2008

Triangle residents said a tropical storm and the school system are to blame for flood waters that inundated their homes recently.

Tropical Storm Hanna brought more than eight inches of rain to the area, which forced residents of Red Oak Lane in Triangle to do all they could to protect their homes from waters coming from the site of the new Triangle Elementary School above their homes.

The waters topped a retaining wall designed to prevent sediment and water runoff from the construction site.

Neighbors and school officials said they took measures to prevent flooding in the area when construction began in June and again when flooding became a problem in July.

In the wake of Hanna, however, the preventive measures were not enough.

Rebecca Stapleton lives directly below the construction site and said it was difficult to keep the rushing water away from her home during the storm. The water washed away portions of her landscaping, and also damaged parts of her wood fence and swimming pool.

A thunderstorm that occurred in July also caused similar problems at her home, prompting a representative of Prince William County Public Schools to meet with her and other concerned neighbors.

Stapleton said she was assured the school system would take every measure to see that flood waters from the site would not again affect their homes.

“This is the second time this has happened, so whatever they are doing it is not enough,” said Stapleton.

The homeowner said she and her children were outside during the height of the storm for two hours digging trenches and constructing a makeshift levy to keep water away from her home.

This was the second time the waters have affected Carol Baum, another neighbor who has lived on Red Oak Lane for more than 10 years. In July her basement flooded, forcing her to pay at least $2,000 for clean-up and to replace carpet with tile. When her basement flooded again during Hanna it left her frustrated.

“The first time it happened I thought it was just me and I didn’t realize it was my neighbors that were also flooded … then I realized this wasn’t right,” said Baum.

Ken Blackstone, with Prince William County Schools, admitted there have been problems in the past with flooding, and called the site an “unusual” place to build a school. Blackstone said a tropical storm is an even more unusual event that is difficult to plan for.

“A tropical storm is a significant event that goes beyond the realm of normal weather occurrences,” said Blackstone. “We have been very proactive in working with the homeowners on these issues when they began.”

The school system is overseeing the construction of the new school, making sure a hired contractor performs their job to specifications, and adheres to county building codes.

Blackstone said the site is also monitored and inspected on a regular basis by both the Prince William County and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

By mandate county inspectors inspect new construction sites every 14 days to see that they are in compliance with code, according to Gary Wall, with Virginia DCR. Wall said the state will also inspect the site, but on a more periodical basis.

The school system maintains all of the site’s inspections are up to date as of Aug. 27, and that new measures have been added to the site since the recent storm — among them a higher 3.5 foot barrier wall separating the neighborhood from the school site and more straw bales to prevent storm runoff.

Both DCR and Prince William County Public Works were unable to confirm the date or documentation of the last inspection of the school site at the time of this story.

“The important thing to note here is that we have gone above and beyond to work with the homeowners,” said Blackstone. “In our construction process we have to meet certain benchmarks before we can go forward, and so far we have exceeded them.”

Blackstone added the school system is working with two homeowners who claimed damage to their property, helping to repair damage to their homes. He said he was not aware of any legal case that has been brought against the contractor or the school system at this time.

Stapleton said her children attend Triangle Elementary School and is happy a new school is being built.

After the flooding she placed several calls to a construction supervisor who works for the school system. When he called back she said he offered to replace her landscaping and a damaged sump pump, valued at $120.

“This is what happened last time, they came out here and offered to fix everything and then it happened again,” said Stapleton. “I am tempted to call a company on my own to have everything fixed the right way and give [the school construction representative] the bill.”

The school system said despite the problems, the $26 million project is on schedule and on budget with a completion date of 2010.