Use the force of gravity to resolve flooding

As a civil engineer who lives in the city of Pittsburgh and frequently drives on Washington Boulevard, I have to propose my solution to the flooding problem there (“Officials Vow Review, New Solutions to City Flooding,” Sept. 21). Instead of relying on the floodgates, use one of the fundamental forces in nature that has been dependable for eons of time. Gravity!

Along Washington Boulevard from the bicycle track to Butler Street is a grassy area that is wider than the street and longer than the area that gets flooded. All you have to do is lower that area and the water will not pond on Washington Boulevard. It will accumulate there and eventually drain away. All you need is a temporary place for the surge of water to go. Oh, I have heard the environmental concerns, but that area floods anyway. In fact, the very area that floods is the same location used by a group that does medieval reenactments and archery. After a flood, that group is back in business using the land that got flooded without any major environmental cleanup.

A feasibility study incorporating a survey and some simple volume calculations is all that is necessary. The city doesn’t even have to move the dirt very far; it can be graded right on-site by the creation of some decorative mounds. Even if the dirt had to be moved, there’s a suitable location a block away behind the zoo parking lot. Hauling distance is a huge factor in the economy of excavation.

Who wants to rely on repairing the laundry list of electrical components listed by Bronder Technical Services regarding the floodgates? No matter how many inspections you have, those components can fail at any time, as anyone who owns an automobile knows. And how long are we going to wait for these other projects that are supposed to curb the flow of water? Nothing has been done since the tragic deaths years ago. Gravity never lets you down! RAY JABLONOWSKI

Greenfield