Water in the streets

The Aug. 11 cloudburst that inundated Cape Girardeau with more than 2.7 inches of rain within an hour was an unusual event that overwhelmed the city's drainage system. The $40 million storm water and flood-control project completed in 2004 worked as it is supposed to, city officials say, but the system was not designed to handle that much rain in so short an amount of time.

Parts of the Town Plaza parking lot, Mount Auburn Road and Bloomfield Road were under 1 to 2 feet of water. The city closed 26 intersections or portions of streets. Parts of Interstate 55 also were underwater for a time. Many motorists were stranded.

Mayor Jay Knudtson is not happy about capacity of the city's drainage system but noted that voters in 2003 turned down a storm water utility fee that would have generated $730,000 a year to improve the system.

The city is working to increase the retention capacity of the Ramsey Creek Branch and plans to evaluate the drainage system's performance, but city manager Doug Leslie doubts much can be done to move water faster.

In a story in Monday's Southeast Missourian, city officials predicted an unprecedented amount of annexations will occur in the next three to five years. These will put even more pressure on the city's storm water system.

The effects of the recent downpour were a reminder that the city's drainage system is a work in progress.