PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (OH) Moderate to major flooding in Ohio

Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2017 09:01:54 EDT

Summary: Moderate to major flooding continues in Ohio.

A quasi-stationary boundary was the focal point for another round of thunderstorms yesterday afternoon in Ohio. An additional two to four inches of rain fell in the immediate Columbus and Newark Ohio areas. The hardest hit river basins are the Licking and Big Walnut in the Newark and Columbus area, however a good portion of northwest Ohio is still seeing high water from rain events of late evening July 12, 2017 and early morning July 13, 2017.

According to media reports, there were 40 water rescues in the Newark area yesterday as people tried to drive over flooded roads. There were no fatalities. The current stage at the South Fork Licking River near Buckeye Lake is 881.30 feet and the forecast crest today is 881.50 feet. At a stage of 881.80 feet, water covers the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70.

One river gage, Blanchard River near Gilboa, was repaired yesterday. Today, the Maumee River near Defiance in northwest Ohio is not transmitting.

Five USGS crews (10 people) are measuring high water today. One crew will be measuring the South Fork Licking River and Licking River in Newark, Ohio. One crew spent the night in Findlay, Ohio and will be concentrating on the Blanchard River. Another crew will be measuring sites in the the Ottawa river basin in northwest Ohio and repairing the Maumee River near Defiance. Another crew will be measuring the Big Walnut and Paint river basins just south of Columbus, Ohio. The final crew will be measuring sites in the Sandusky and Portage river basins. Two crews will be out overnight and will be measuring high water tomorrow.

The cities of Newark, Findlay, Ottawa and Kalida as well as Licking County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Ohio Water Development Authority have been notified of our actions.