9/20/18 – 11:09 A.M.

With the Blanchard River benching project set to start next month, members of the groups pushing for flood reduction all thanked the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District and the Hancock County Commissioners for driving the initiative Thursday. They added that they aren’t done looking for solutions to the flooding problem…

Audio: Lydia Mihalik

Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik says future projects could include more river benching. They could also include enhanced maintenance plans.

Members of Blanchard River Watershed Solutions and Hancock United for a Better Blanchard agreed that the benching project is only the beginning…

Audio: David Blatnik

David Blatnik of Blanchard River Watershed Solutions adds they will continue to work to find solutions that are agreeable to all parties.

Hancock United for a Better Blanchard’s Gary Wilson also believes there’s more to do…

Audio: Gary Wilson

The county commissioners facilitated Thursday’s meeting. All three commissioners thanked the conservancy for providing better lines of communication. They also thanked Stantec Engineering for providing a workable solution to the flooding problem.

The phase I benching projects starts on October 4. It’s expected to reduce the 100-year flood by a foot in downtown Findlay.