Officials in Columbiana seek input about drainage problems

COLUMBIANA -- City officials want to hear residents' concerns about drainage problems and fix them as soon as possible, Mayor Lowell Schloneger said.
Residents have experienced flooding in yards and basements, including sewage backup into basements with the recent heavy rains. Most recently, Seventh Street residents complained to city council about sewage backup.
"Above all we want to make sure residents know that we want to hear about their situations, and we take their complaints very seriously," Schloneger said, adding that the city will take care of problems that can be fixed quickly.
During discussion at several council meetings this summer, residents related flooding and other drainage problems to residential and commercial development.
Schloneger said most of the problems with flooded basements are from infiltration of rainwater into cracks or holes in old sewer lines.
He said there are old sewer lines in many areas of town, and the only way to resolve infiltration in those cases is to replace the lines.