After decades of studying flood control options to save Findlay from future flooding, the official groundbreaking for the first Blanchard River Benching Project took place on October 4, 2018 along the north bank of the river just west of Downtown Findlay.
The project creates more capacity for flood waters flowing through the heart of the city where the greatest flood damage has occurred in the past. Over 18,000 dump trucks of dirt will be removed from the site, creating more volume to keep future flood waters off the street in the downtown area. The area of excavation will extend along the north bank of the river between the N. Cory St. and Broad Ave. bridges. Four existing low head dams will be removed and rebuilt to allow more recreational use of the river through Downtown Findlay. The project is being managed through the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District, headquartered downstream in Defiance and Helms & Sons Excavation, a local Findlay company, will complete the project by September 2019. Collectively, the project will result in improved water quality for the river and will remove 600 parcels from the river’s floodplain.
