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From Speakupwny.com Development
From the north-side of town, to the south-side of town, Lancaster is full of water. A number of designated creeks run through Lancaster. They include: Ellicott Creek, Scajaquada Creek, Cayuga Creek, Spring Creek, Plum Bottom Creek, North Branch Plum Bottom Creek, Little Buffalo Creek, North Branch Slate Bottom Creek, and the South Branch Slate Bottom Creek.
Long-time residents of Western New York will testify to the fact that this years snowfall wasn't unusually heavy. With the exception of a long cold spell, the winter of 2004 was relatively normal.
The flooding depicted in these pictures occurs annually. Long-time residents of Lancaster will confirm that many of the developed portions of town flooded in a similar manner before they were developed. Which raises the question, where did the water go?
A portion of the water never goes anywhere. It floods newly developed subdivisions. A larger quantity of water is diverted into retention and detention ponds. A huge portion of the water is diverted into the numerous town ditches that lead to the creeks.
Residents who live along Cayuga Creek, from Como Park to the town's border with Depew, are protected from flooding by an Army Corps of Engineer flood control project. Those who live along the Ellicott Creek aren't so lucky. Year in and year out, these residents deal with heavy flooding. In the past few years, the flooding got worse.
In some places, the effects of the increased flooding are felt as far as a mile from the creek.
This roadside ditch is more than three quarters of a mile away from Ellicott Creek. If you carefully examine the background you will see that the flooding carries over into the front yard of the next house.
This picture shows the flooded banks of Ellicott Creek.
Even in the mildest of winters, it's not uncommon for Stony Road to be flooded.
There are a number of reasons why the Lancaster portion of Ellicott Creek floods every year. One reason is the presence of log jams that built up after previous floods. Flooding is also exacerbated by bridges that are not large enough to allow huge volumes of water to pass under them. When the water level is high these structures act more like dams than bridges. Most of the flooding is caused by upstream development. Lancaster allowed a property owner to fill in the flood plain behind his property to increase it's usable acreage. The fill narrowed a bend in the creek, creating a half-dam that inhibits water flow. In Cheektowaga, Ellicott Creek is buried under an airport runway. In Williamsville it runs through highly developed residential areas. Further east, the creek's natural floodplain is filled in and developed. This destruction of natural flood plains slows water flow. The creek backs up and floods lesser developed areas in Lancaster. There are two solutions, one is to limit further development in the floodplains and watersheds that feed Ellicott Creek. The other is a massive flood control project similar to the one controlling Cayuga Creek. © Copyright 2003 by Speakupwny.com |
