RICHMOND, Va. — As Central Virginia continues to see rain in the forecast, a nonprofit in the city is asking residents to document where they may see standing water or flooding from stormwater.
In March, Southside ReLeaf and the University of Richmond launched a campaign called "Go with the Flow," an online flood mapping program that tracks the city's most flood-prone areas and creates a computer model of flooding in the city. Data is collected through an online survey that documents the flooding location and whether there is any standing water during and after rainfall.
Sheri Shannon, Southside ReLeaf's co-founder, said since its launch, around 150 flooding cases have been reported so far, ranging from spots near Monument Avenue in the Museum District to East Broad Rock Road.
"We’re seeing bad flooding because some system is not in place, or maybe the system is not working the way it intended," Shannon said.
She said the problems seem to be pervasive in certain parts of the city, due to issues with infrastructure, like drains or divots. It's also caused by having no alternatives, like trees and other green spaces, that can soak up stormwater.
“Unfortunately, we see this a lot with East End and Southside neighborhoods. These are areas that are formerly redlined, where there have been decades of disinvestment, where urban renewal came in, a lot of highways, a lot of roadways, but the additional investments of green spaces didn’t really come along with it," Shannon said. "It’s not a coincidence that this is happening. Areas where it’s hotter in the city are areas that are more prone to flooding as well."
Shannon said the responses will be shared with the Department of Public Utilities and Richmond City leaders to determine where flooding problems exist and what changes are needed.
“When people participate, they’re actually helping us make change. Right? So, we’ll take this information, share it with our elected officials and our city officials so they can make more informed decisions," Shannon said. "Next budget cycle, we hope to see more investments toward improving our water systems."
Southside ReLeaf wants to receive 500 survey responses by Labor Day, when the campaign ends, even if the responses include areas that are not experiencing flooding during rainfall.
Enroll for text reminders and weather alerts here.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky| Facebook| Instagram| X| Threads| TikTok| YouTube
