The “benching” project to lessen flooding of the Blanchard River in Findlay will cost more than anticipated.

Steve Wilson, project manager for the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District, says the project will cost an additional $807,000.

He says the amount of potentially contaminated material removed and hauled away from the old Brandman tire dump on North Cory Street was about four times higher than their original estimate.

“Our calculation was off because the material was much more dense than we anticipated, primarily due to the moisture content.”

Wilson says the total cost of the benching project will now be just shy of $6.9 million.

He says the overall project is about 90 percent complete, and when finished will reduce a 100-year flood event by 8 to 9 inches at Main Street.

Get more on the remaining project here.