Flooding In Arnold Has Minimal Impact Compared To ’93

When the Meramec River at Arnold crested at 29.6 feet Tuesday–5.6 feet above flood stage–the impact was minimal, impacting mostly city parks property.

That’s according to plan, Arnold Parks and Recreation Director Susie Boone said and is due largely to federally funded buyouts of flood-prone properties in the city.

Arnold sits at the juncture of the Meramec and Mississippi Rivers. The Meramec, which flows south, forms the city's north and east borders.

Where hundreds of residences were once susceptible to flooding, the city now has green space, athletic fields and walking trails.

While flooding still has an impact on Arnold City Park and some residences around the park, Boone said it has less impact than it once did, thanks to the city’s flood mitigation efforts.

Arnold City Park starts flooding from the back, or south, end of the property. Water from the Meramec comes up through the gate and across the beach road, where paths used for running, walking and bicycling are located. The water then fills the ball fields and dog park. When the river reaches a level of about 32 feet, the park is closed.

“We know it’s going to happen a couple times a year,” Boone said. “After the water recedes, we disinfect and clean. Public Works will go behind the gates and clean the debris and get the paths open. It’s just a fact as a city that we know this is going to happen a couple times a year, so we make preparations for that.”

Pomme Creek Golf Course is also prone to flooding. Boone said flooding there affects about five holes on the course.

Flooding in Arnold isn’t what it used to be.

During the Great Flood of 1993, hundreds of homes in Arnold were inundated. As the waters receded, with federal funding Arnold city officials pursued a plan to prevent similar disasters in the future.

In January 1994, the city received about $4.1 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood buyout money to buy out flood prone houses. A separate FEMA program helped mobile homeowners move.

Many residents were reluctant to move, thinking the 1993 flood was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Heavy flooding in 1994 and 1995 brought an influx of more buyout dollars and higher participation in the buyout program.

By the end of 1995, Arnold had purchased 202 single-family homes and 155 slots for mobile home.

As a result, costs and impact from flooding dropped dramatically. A total of $40,000 was spent on individual residential assistance in 1995 vs. $2.1 million in 1993.

Arnold continued buyouts through 2005 and purchased about 500 residences using FEMA buyout money, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and other funding sources.

“We did more flood buyouts after 1993 than almost any other place in the country,” Arnold Director of Administration Greg Hall said. “We estimate that the City of Arnold has spent close to $6 million buying out property in the flood plain.”

Today all but a handful of flood-prone properties in the city have been bought out and turned into minimal-use areas, including walking trails, athletic fields and green space.

Up to 95 percent of the purchased properties were located between Starling Airport Road and the Meramec River. There were also homes bought on Melody Lane, Key West Drive and Pleasant Valley Terrace.

“Most of the property is in, or borders, Arnold City Park,” Hall said. 

On the west side of Jeffco Boulevard, across from Arnold City Park, the Jefferson County Youth Association (JCYA) football field is located at the site of a former mobile home park. 

Walking trails in Arnold City Park are also located on former flood buyout property.

“Hollywood Beach and Bradley Beach Roads are now walking trails where homes and clubhouses once were,” Hall said.

There are still residential properties prone to flooding in the city.

"There are five to six homes on Convair Drive that we would consider buying if FEMA monies become available,” Hall said. “Two of the residents have indicated that they would like to be bought out, and a couple of the others have strong
interest.”

Arnold Public Works Director Bryson Baker said the houses on Convair Drive, south of Arnold City Park, tend to flood when the Meramec reaches a stage of around 39 feet.

“There are a couple of houses that have similar situations throughout the city, but we haven’t reached that this year,” Baker said.

Flooding in Arnold today is mostly an inconvenience.

“The worst part, besides the houses, is it closes the park,” Baker said. “Arnold City Park was closed for a week earlier this year when the floodwaters came up.  There’s pretty much people there all the time. So any day that it is closed is an inconvenience to some people.”