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Dealing with Floods


eight-feet of water covered all visible areas of the complex. Bybee said, “Te river essentially rerouted itself through our fields and streets.” Lots of questions arose, one being, “Will we ever survive.” Bybee reported that they did survive and learned several things that she shared that might help anyone with operations in a flood plain.


Te McInnish Sports Complex looked like this on Sunday, May 31, 2015. Photo by Kim Bybee


Turf News attended a panel discussion session on “Dealing with Disasters,” at the STMA Conference in January. It was led by Bruce Suddeth, Director Building and Landscape Services – University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg, SC; Kim Bybee, Athletics Manager, and Mason Ward, Athletics Maintenance Supervisor, both with the City of Carrollton, TX. All three had some first-hand experiences that are helpful to this article.


In her presentation, Kim Bybee talked about their 250- acre McInnish Sports Complex and its 25 athletic fields. Like many park systems, and some sod farms, this complex was built in a flood plain. Te land is cheaper, and flooding doesn’t usually occur often enough, or last long enough, to negate the lower cost. Bybee said, “Minor flooding was commonplace. Occasionally a road might be temporarily blocked or parts of one or more fields might be under water for a short time, but we were able to work around that.”


Bybee stated that early notification is important. Besides the usual eye on the weather, they now regularly check lake and reservoir levels. Tey monitor the US Army Corps of Engineers website. Key staff signed up to receive text notifications when river and lake levels reach a certain height, or the river reaches a certain flow rate at the bridge near their complex. Tis allows them to better prepare for a flood event. You can more accurately make decisions on what needs to be moved and how soon. Largest or most valuable equipment should be moved to high ground first. Depending on the predictions, you might want to move smaller items to higher shelves or areas not prone to flooding. Maybe there is time to load smaller equipment into trailers that could be moved quickly if warranted. Te more closely you can monitor the situation, the more accurately you can determine what should be moved and what is most likely going to be safe.


Bybee concluded her part of the presentation providing their first-hand experience on the importance of documentation; record keeping before, during and after such an event; and constantly updating plans and making sure everyone that needs to know is fully aware of what is expected.


Many TPI members have experienced flooding this past year. Connecting with those near you could provide specifics on prevention and/or mitigation specific to your area.


Suddeth’s presentation was specific to his experience with a fire in a building at their sports turf facility that housed a maintenance area, office, break and meeting space, and storage for equipment and chemicals. He provided step-by- step details on all the processes that they went through.


Tis soil is going to need some attention after a flood. Photo by Kim Bybee


Tings changed on May 30, 2015. Heavy rains swelled adjacent Trinity River and nearby Lewisville Lake and Grapevine Lake. All of a sudden, roads that had never been flooded before were impassable. Within 24-hours, over six- to


TPI Turf News May/June 2018


As the water recedes, debris is always a factor to deal with, like here, five days after the McInnish Sports Complex flooded. Photo by Kim Bybee


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