SHEFFIELD TWP., Ohio — A stretch of rainy days is enough to make the people living in one Lorain County neighborhood nervous.
Several viewers near Broadway in Sheffield Twp. and Jefferson St. in Lorain reached out to News 5 to share their frustrations over what they said has been years of persistent flooding.
“These folks, at some point in time, are going to lose their property. It might take another 20 years,” said Mike Kokinda, who’s lived in his Sheffield Twp. home for 40 years.
Kokinda said he contacted News 5 for help because the issues have been getting worse, especially for some homes in low-lying areas.
“I feel bad for the young couples. I’ve been dealing with this for 40 years,” he said.
When it rains, a drainage ditch behind the properties often resembles a swift creek. The water funnels through the channel from higher ground and into a grate on Kokinda’s land, where a 12-inch corrugated pipe carries it to a storm drain near Broadway.
He said the measures are not enough. Other neighbors shared photos of the water reaching their homes, sheds and flooding their lawns.
“I’m worried about my barn and the structural damage that it’s getting because some of the water’s getting diverted,” said Eric Melendez, who lives down the street from Kokinda in Sheffield Twp.
Neighbors on Jefferson St., which lies lower than other areas, told News 5 that stormwater often breaches their basements.
“We've felt hopeless with the mess that this flooding creates and what previous owners didn’t disclose,” said Erin Elkins via email. “We have a back half of our house that is sinking, constant fear of water seeping in every crack of our foundation. We love our home but we know its a losing battle every time it rains, we will be carting buckets of water out of our basements at 3 a.m. for many years to come if we can’t get it under control.”
On Friday, Kokinda said the pooling water on some lawns was minor in comparison to what the neighborhood often experiences.
“If it were to storm tonight and we got an inch and a half of rain, in the morning, it would be water from here all the way over,” he said, gesturing from his backyard to a shed two houses away.
The location of the neighborhood has proven challenging for addressing the flooding issues.
The backyard ditch straddles both Sheffield Township and the city of Lorain. Directly behind the Kokinda and Melendez yards is the Clearview Local School District’s property. Nearby Broadway is a county road, lined with county-run storm sewers.
News 5 reached out to all of the parties.
Township trustees said it’s largely up to property owners to maintain ditches and drainage systems, while the township is only responsible for roadside ditches along township roads.
Melendez said his flooding issues escalated after Clearview Local Schools added baseball fields, a new bus garage and parking lot.
“You’ll see little things they’re doing, but they’re not fixing the problem,” he said.
School district leaders said they worked with the Lorain County Engineer’s Office to add two detention ponds after construction and several reviews deemed the stormwater management “adequate.”
The city of Lorain said it helped clear the drainage ditch last year. It also said it has a drainage easement through Kokinda’s property, but the pipe itself belongs to the county.
Lorain County’s stormwater coordinator told News 5 it’s currently researching the issue. He said ditches, tile and sewers that leave a right-of-way are generally the responsibility of property owners. In this situation, the county said all the parties likely play a role. It plans to work with everyone to coordinate and implement a plan.
Neighbors said they just want a solution as soon as possible.
“I hope they do the right thing and fix the issue that’s been a problem for years,” said Melendez.
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
