CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Digging holes to fill holes may seem like busy work in some professions, but for the Clarksville-Montgomery County Industrial Development Board, an upcoming dig-and-fill operation will save taxpayers money and help resolve flooding issues at the Industrial Park.
In February and April this year, Clarksville saw two historic rain events that caused a 33-acre flood basin on International Boulevard to spill over its banks. In the Feb. 15 event, stormwater spilled across International Boulevard and flooded the Atlas BX plant across the street. In the April 10 flood, water spilling over the basin flowed into the flooding Dunlop basin, which then spilled into the Farmington neighborhood, according to previous reports.
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Flooding solutions: Wells, basin excavation
To address the problem, the IDB has installed two new injection wells in the South Park Hankook Basin, bringing the total to four. (These are vertical pipes that drain water into existing sinkholes without collapsing ground nearby.)
They also plan to excavate the basin to add about 50% more capacity, removing about 160,000 cubic yards of dirt.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Interstate 24, the IDB is working to develop about 7.26 acres of land north of the 69-acre future Office Park northwest of Tennova Healthcare.
The IDB is building a stub-out road from Athletic Avenue at Ted Crozier Boulevard, and they need additional dirt to build up the grade of the land and make the site pad-ready. Coincidentally, they need about 160,000 cubic yards, or 1,000 truckloads of dirt, which is about the same amount being excavated from the International Boulevard stormwater basin.
“That’s good dirt, too,” CMC Economic Development Council CEO Buck Dellinger said at the Oct. 9 IDB meeting. “So, there’s all the more reason that we’ve got an opportunity to do this in the most cost-effective way for the community.”
The cost of the excavation and injection well upgrades will be covered by the basin’s neighbors, FedEx and Hankook Tire, to the tune of $2.1 million. The IDB board voted unanimously Thursday to approve a budget amendment to pay for the work and to accept the reimbursement.
What’s next?
The excavation is underway, and the 160,000 cubic yards will be moved by the end of 2025, IDB Executive Director Josh Ward told Clarksville Now.
In addition, another 140,000 will be excavated in 2026, Ward said. No location has been determined for that amount.
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