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Removable floodwall is being considered
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built HuntingtonÕs floodwall between 1938 and 1943. The concrete section is seven miles long, while the earthen levee in the West End is four-and-a-half miles long.
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HUNTINGTON -- Huntington city officials are exploring whether a section of "invisible floodwall" might be a practical way to showcase Harris Riverfront Park.
Bill Toney, executive director of the Huntington Municipal Development Authority, is planning a trip with other city officials to Louisville, Ky., to see if its "invisible floodwall" would work in Huntington.
Advocates of a removable floodwall said it will bring more attention to the park and help connect downtown businesses to the riverfront. When erected, the removable floodwall provides ample protection from raging waters, but when it's down, there are few stationary objects to block the view and accessibility of the riverfront.
Toney said Mayor David Felinton and Charles Holley, director of planning and development, are prime candidates for the late-August trip. Felinton said construction of a removable could be part of the city's long-range plan, but the project will remain an idea only until costs are determined.
Felinton said there has been little work done by the city to determine if a removable floodwall is a good option for Huntington.
Besides opening up the park to the public, Toney said construction of a removable floodwall would allow part of the riverfront to be commercially developed. Though Felinton is open to the possibility of designating a portion of the riverfront for commercial development, he is wary of large-scale plans.
"I'm not in favor of building a big strip mall, but I believe there is a balance that can be achieved," Felinton said.
A so-called invisible floodwall is a removable barrier that is erected only when floodwaters reach dangerous levels. Flood Control America LLC built all three sections of removable floodwall in Louisville.
George Fryklund, chief executive officer of Flood Control America, said the sections in Louisville range from 60 to 770 feet wide. Depending on the location of the floodwall, the structure height varies from two to 18 feet.
The largest section of removable floodwall is directly behind Slugger Field, home to the Louisville Bats, a minor league baseball team and AAA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. There also are two, small street opening sections of removable floodwall, including one section near the Muhammad Ali Museum. Fryklund estimated the cost of the supplies and materials for the three projects to be between $500,000 and $600,000.
Since two of the projects were completed about 10 years ago, Fryklund said prices would be higher now.
The Slugger Field and Second Street sections were built in the late 1990s, and the section near the Muhammad Ali Museum was completed in 2003, Fryklund said. Though the removable portions are not very tall, Mike Humphrey, Louisville's flood protection administrator, said two portions are capable of handling Louisville's 500-year flood expectancy and the other is capable of handling the city's 100-year flood expectancy.
While there is added work involved with putting up and removing the wall when the threat of flooding rises and recedes, Humphrey said the city did not need additional staffing.
When floodwaters rise, steel posts are bolted into threaded plates built into the ground. Aluminum beams are then fastened between the posts to create an interlocking floodwall.
The removable sections that serve as street openings in Louisville are similar to the concrete floodwall openings at 10th and 12th streets in Huntington. Toney said installing either two separate street opening sections or a large section from both streets in Huntington could potentially do a lot to revitalize the riverfront.
"The more the riverfront is seen, the more it will be used," Toney said. "The park is already an asset to the city, but we can make it a bigger asset."
Robin Howell, an advocate of a removable floodwall and an independent candidate for mayor in the November election, said she hopes the city seriously looks into the option of opening up the riverfront. While other cities have developed their riverfront property into a thriving market for tourism and commerce, Howell said Huntington hasn't developed its riverfront to its full potential.
"The riverfront is an asset for the city, and we need to treat it like one," Howell said. "Other cities use the waterfront to attract tourists and business and commerce, and their waterfront property is very valuable."
In Louisville, Humphrey said the riverfront has been opened up greatly since the initial implementation of the invisible floodwall. The only downside of the removable floodwall, he said, is the amount of pieces needed for assembly.
"You have a lot better chance of a small leak because there are so many pieces," Humphrey said. "(The removable floodwall sections) have had the river hitting up against them and they've performed well. They haven't sustained any problems."
Careful planning and continual observation of the water levels prevents the city workers from having to install the barriers in a hurry. Humphrey said he is just as confident in the removable sections as he is about the approximate 29 miles of concrete and earthen levee floodwall sections in Louisville.
"Installing (the invisible floodwall) has made the process of closing the street openings a lot easier than the old system," Humphrey said. "With the old system, we used to have to lift 400- to 500-pound panels into position. It's a lot simpler now."
