
DATE: Monday, May 12, 1997                  TAG: 9705120084

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:  101 lines

CHORES PILE UP AT THE BEACH WORK-ORDER PIPELINE IS CLOGGED WITH 1,200-PULS REQUESTS AT ANY GIVEN TIME.

Take a number and wait, please.

That's the city's stock reply to homeowners calling with drainage problems.

With 6,000 drainage complaints a year, and a backlog of 1,200 to 1,500 work orders at any given time, the city doesn't have much choice.

Chuck Fullerton, waterways maintenance engineer with the Department of Public Works, says that every complaint is inspected and triaged according to its severity.

``Is the water flooding the road? Is it a hazard to the community?'' Fullerton says. ``Something like a nuisance puddle on the side of a road is definitely not as high on the priority list.''

Don't tell that to James T. Wynne of Lakeview Shores. Wynne, 74, is so sick of waiting for Public Works to clean out the clogged storm drain at the end of his driveway that he says he will put up a $10,000 cash bond if the city allows him to fix it himself.

Last month, the city inspected the drain, which has caused a permanent 8-foot puddle of standing water, and told the World War II veteran that it would take 90 to 120 days to do the job. That's not soon enough for Wynne.

``I guarantee I can take care of that problem in one day with one other man and a few shovelfuls of dirt at one-fourth the cost,'' Wynne says. ``The city's going to send four trucks and 10 men and do a piddly job.''

Fullerton insists he's doing the best he can. But his stormwater staff of 58 is at the mercy of nature. With last month's rainfall, they had to drop the work orders and respond to flood calls.

``We bend over backwards to try to accommodate everyone,'' he says, sounding weary. ``It's a challenge. We contract out $3 million of stormwater repairs a year.''

The city began charging residents a stormwater management fee in 1993 to address flooding problems, improve drainage in many neighborhoods and reduce pollutants in stormwater. But it quickly became apparent that the needs outpaced available money.

The proposed 1997-1998 budget, scheduled for adoption Tuesday by the City Council, will increase the stormwater fee to $3.22 per month from $2.74. It is scheduled to rise in 1998-99 to $3.68.

Mark Johnson, a civil engineer who helps head up stormwater management for the city, says that's a reasonable increase based on the need.

``We have an infrastructure problem because the city is maturing,'' says Johnson. ``We're seeing the beginning of the system in need of repair.''

Michael Albritton of Atlantic Park has been waiting 11 years for the city to fix his stormwater problems. He says an open ditch on the side of his house has continually overflowed and caused moisture rot and damage to his house's structural underpinnings.

In 1989, the city installed a 40-foot section of pipe as a stopgap measure, but that did not stem the water's flow. The yard can't be used because it's always wet and erosion has eaten away much of the grass. Pictures Albritton has taken during rainstorms reveal his house standing in several inches of water.

``This is the city's responsibility,'' says Albritton, pointing to the overgrown ditch. ``I just want them to fix the ditch so I can use the yard.''

The city has attempted to solve the problem several times, Johnson says. Over the years, the city agreed to pipe the ditch as long as Albritton would dedicate a portion of his storm drainage easement, Johnson explains.

In 1994, Albritton agreed. But when Johnson took the easement plats to his house, Albritton wouldn't sign. He had received a $10,000 home improvement grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and he claims the city wanted to take $2,500 of it to fix the ditch. The city should use money collected from the stormwater fees to repair the ditch, Albritton says.

Johnson says the city found that HUD grant for Albritton, with the intention that part of it be used for the ditch. Either way, the issue has been stonewalled ever since.

Some relief should come from the Atlantic Park Storm Drainage Project, scheduled to begin in October. It will reroute the water in Albritton's ditch to a city-built storm drainage system.

``My goal is to solve this problem,'' says Johnson. ``If the city did not have a stormwater utility fee, we wouldn't be doing anything in Atlantic Park. We wouldn't have the funds.''

Not everyone is upset with the city's stormwater management. Leona Shuler, president of the Trantwood Lake homeowners association, says the homeowners have been ``very pleased'' with Public Works' efforts.

One evening last April, the lake's dam broke. The next day, the city repaired the dam temporarily and built a new bulkhead there.

Within two weeks an outside contractor repaired the dam permanently, but the residents were not happy with the job. They complained to Fullerton and sure enough, the dam was fixed to their liking.

``We've had good success but only because we know what the limitations are and know what to expect,'' says Shuler. ``They're only capable of so much right now.'' ILLUSTRATION: . . . WITH CLOGGED DRAINS

[Color Photo]

CHARLIE MEADS PHOTOS/The Virginian-Pilot

Michael Albritton looks at standing water that encroaches on his

property in Atlantic Park as a result of storm drainage problems. He

has been asking the city to fix the problem for 11 years.

THE PROBLEM

The city gets 6,000 drainage complaints a year and has a typical

backlog of 1,200 to 1,500 work orders.

CITY ACTION

The proposed 1997-98 budget, scheduled for adoption Tuesday,

increases the stormwater fee, which pays for drainage work.