Editorial
It was 40 years ago today – Nov. 5, 1985 – that floodwaters poured through downtown Buena Vista and swamped the city’s industries along the Maury River – causing tens of millions of dollars in damages. It was the second catastrophic flood to devastate the city and other parts of the Rockbridge area in 16 years – the other one occurring in August of 1969.
The Election Day flood of 1985 proved to be a t ipping p oint for B uena Vista, fi nally persuading the citizens of the city to support efforts by elected officials at the local, state and federal levels to successfully pursue an Army Corps of Engineers flood protection project. It took another dozen years but flood protection did indeed eventually become a reality for Buena Vista. A ceremony to mark the completion of the James R. Olin Flood Project took place on Oct. 10, 1997.
The $37 million project dedicated that day was a combination of channelization, cement floodwall, earthen levee and stone riprap designed to protect the city from flooding from the Maury River. The project also included an interior stream drainage canal designed to divert floodwaters from mountain streams to the river downstream from the floodwall.
The federal government covered the costs of 75 percent of the project. The state and Buena Vista split the costs for the remaining 25 percent. Buena Vista’s share of the costs was $4.5 million or, with interest over 20 years, $7.5 million. The city covered its costs with increases to the real estate and food and lodging taxes. The city’s bond payments were paid in full in 2013.
The fact that the state of Virginia paid half of the local share was highly significant because the state had never before paid any portion of a federal flood protection project for a locality. Former Buena Vista Mayor Harold Kidd credits former Gov. Doug Wilder with being the influential voice to persuade state lawmakers to appropriate funds for the project. Buena Vista’s representatives in the General Assembly at the time were Del. Lacey Putney and state Sen. Frank Nolan.
Support for the project from elected officials, says Kidd, “came from the top down; it didn’t go from the bottom up.” By this he means that Buena Vista’s representatives at the federal level, our congressmen and U.S. senators, championed the project by convincing those at the state level to come on board.
Former Congressman Caldwell Butler supported the first iteration of plans for a flood control project in Buena Vista that was defeated in a local referendum in 1977. Years after he’d left office, Butler joined his successor, Jim Olin, namesake for the project, in initiating federal support once again. Virginia’s U.S. Senators John Warner and Paul Trible and, later, Sen. Chuck Robb, lent their support. During his remaining years in Congress, Olin had a staff member whose full-time job was dedicated to the project. Olin’s successor, Bob Goodlatte, completed the job of ensuring continued federal support.
Even with flood protection in place, ensuring that it works as it should has been and continues to be a responsibility of the city. Inspections and tests of the floodwall in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers are conducted regularly. Enhanced protections from interior stream funding have been implemented over the years. The city is currently looking into doing cleanup work on these streams to ensure that they’re free of debris. It has been mentioned at recent City Council meetings that the city may be on the hook for federal permit fees in order to do this work.
Twenty-eight years after the completion of the James R. Olin Flood Project, it remains more than a source of protection from flooding. It is also a recreational venue. The twoand- a-quarter mile path atop the floodwall is quite popular with walkers and runners. Those who cross this path are afforded an opportunity to contemplate the natural beauty of the mighty Maury River as well as mankind’s ingenuity in taming the river to protect the city from its destructive powers.
