Beavercreek has grown significantly over the past 40 years. But that’s how long it’s been since the city examined its stormwater system. A new yearlong study helped make the picture clearer of what needs to be done with it.
Stronger storms + fast development = flooding and erosion
Insufficient stormwater drainage in the city’s been a longstanding issue, especially in its older neighborhoods, said Beavercreek’s public services director Jeff Moorman. This leads to their office receiving calls about flooding, erosion and ditch formation.
“We certainly go out, we investigate, we see what's going on. So we had a pretty good list of issues we wanted to get corrected [that] we've developed over the years from getting all those concerns from people,” Moorman said.
“...Over the past several years, I think the storms have been a little bit more intense than they have been in past years. So when you get those bigger storms, it can really affect the condition of some of the channels.”
The study set out to identify existing stormwater infrastructure and create a list of priority repairs and replacements needing attention within the next decade to prevent drainage-related issues. The yearlong project that wrapped up fall of last year involved field surveys across Beavercreek’s 27-square-mile area and 15 miles of its open streams.
The result? Local engineers found the city needs $15 million in repairs and replacements of its stormwater infrastructure.
What money is available
The resulting report ended up being nearly 300 pages. It’s referred to as the drainage master plan.
The last time the city surveyed its stormwater infrastructure was in 1983. He said they decided to do an updated study now to put this issue on residents’ radar.
“City council may decide to put some things before the voters to see if they think it's a worthwhile thing to provide additional funding to help tackle some of these things. But it's kind of hard to ask if you don't know what the need is,” he said.
Of 120 drainage channels, also known as culverts, inspected through the study, 31 of them were considered to be in poor condition, with many of them having corroded pipes.
Streams are also conduits for stormwater drainage. While a majority were in good condition, the ones that weren’t had failing stream banks or were compromised by sediment buildup or fallen trees.
For 2026, the city has $350,000 at its disposal for stormwater system improvements, according to Moorman.
“There's a big gap there between the need and the available funding,” Moorman said. “So it's kind of difficult to pick where we're going to start and where we are going to go first.”
Staff are eyeing culverts that aren’t letting water pass through, he said.
This study only looked at infrastructure or areas maintained by the city. But natural features such as wetlands, native grasses and forests can also mitigate stormwater runoff.
About half of the $15 million can be publicly funded. But the other half of improvements are needed on private properties or properties with easements. The city will be looking to secure grant money to defray the costs, Moorman said.
In 2024 and 2025, the city completed two major stormwater improvement projects at Grange Hall Road near Willowcrest Road and Vineland Trail using over $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
