Back in 1997, I did one those things you’re never supposed to do: drove through flood waters cresting over a small bridge. At the time I was living in Lexington and working at Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky. It was March, and a rain of Biblical proportions had the Ohio River way out of bounds. Cincinnati was a mess, Louisville was a mess. Though it wasn’t as severe in and around Lexington, it was certainly bad enough.
I had only been in Kentucky a little over 6 months, and didn’t know all the possible ways I could get from my work back home when I encountered that little bridge on Tates Creek Road with the creek flowing over it. I turned and went back past the farm office the other direction. Soon I encountered a lake over Union Mill Road comparable to the Fountain City duck pond. I had no idea how deep it was, but knew for sure the clearance of my Volkswagen Rabbit had little room for error.
I went back to the bridge, backed up the hill behind me to get a bit of momentum, put it in first and shot my shot. I made it. There was a fine line l between fast enough to clear the roughly 15 feet to the other side beyond the water and hydroplaning. My guess is the water was about six inches deep. Which doesn’t sound like much until you’re trying to cross it in a low rider.
The spastic rains of the last several days had me thinking of some floods in the past. It seemed fairly regular in the 1970s and 80s for Knoxville to have more significant flooding than it does now. I know that’s not much comfort to those who took on damage to homes, business and cars during Sunday night’s deluge.
But, I grew up mostly in Sherwood Forest, behind St. Joseph’s School on Cedar Lane. I believe it may have been 1978, but one year consistent rains had swollen the neighborhood creek into a small river. One of my neighbors put his canoe in on Nottingham and rode the rapids down beyond his family’s home on Little John Lane.
Another standout was the Great World’s Fair Flood of 1982. Now that was one of the few times in the summer of 1982 that I wasn’t at the fair. Activities at the fair screeched to a halt, as they did pretty much everywhere from downtown north into Fountain City. Old Broadway was turned into lake. Durch Valley Road wasn’t much better. First Creek was generally wreaking havoc all along its route to the Tennessee River. My brother and I jumped in his three-on-the-tree old Dodge truck and wisely decided that driving around looking at flood waters was the smart thing to do. Knox Road was flooded behind Klovia’s and the Peach Tree. This was before First Creek went underground in that area. We kept ourselves out of trouble, and all around, had a mighty fine time. But nothing or ours had been destroyed.
I know now what I didn’t know then: playing in flood waters is foolish. If you insist, may the dilution ratio be ever in your favor. There are some downpours that even the most up to date storm water infrastructure cannot fully prevent from flooding. I do know we’re increasing our concrete canyons in the city, and uninterrupted pavement, even with storm drains, only adds to flooding woes. One thing that might help before the next system rolls through is checking the storm drains on your street, Don’t wait for someone else to do it, keep them clear.
Stay high and dry.
Source: Knoxville Journal digital archives
Beth Kinnane writes a history feature for KnoxTNToday.com. It’s published each Tuesday and is one of our best-read features.
Enjoyed this article? Read more of Beth Kinnane’s stories about the people, places, and history that make our community unique.
Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our free newsletter. Comments may be sent to news@knoxtntoday.com.
