Flood gate error caused Broad Ripple flooding

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - In Broad Ripple, rain created a much bigger mess than it should have. Floodwaters filled Westfield Boulevard instead of flowing safely into the White River because floodgates that should have been open weren’t, the city said.

The fans and humidifiers were running full blast Wednesday at Flatwater Restaurant in Broad Ripple.

The hardwood floor at the business in the 800 block of Westfield Boulevard has been peeled up in the dining room, and it's being chipped away and will soon be gone from the bar area. The work was prompted by damage caused Tuesday by fast-running floodwaters, the likes of which owner Michael Yount said he had never seen before.

"We could look down the street and see manhole covers that had come off. There was more or less fountains coming up through those. And it only took five minutes to come over the sidewalk and up to our door," Yount said.

The floodgates near 65th Street and Westfield Boulevard, only a few blocks from the Flatwater, are likely the cause of Yount's mess.

"We were looking at all the different scenarios, and we discovered the floodgates were closed during that time," said Kara Brooks of the Indianapolis Department of Public Works.

If they had been open, the rainwater would have flowed freely into the White River. Instead it backed up onto Westfield Boulevard.

There was graffitti in the area and a blanket hanging from the floodgates, indicating that despite being fenced in, access to the area is possible.

"You can either open them electronically or manually,” Brooks said of the floodgates. “And we were just trying to figure out why they were closed. We're looking at every possibility. We're traveling down every road to find out what happened."

And Yount is working feverishly to get his restaurant ready to reopen. He’s waiting to decide how he'll deal with the city.

"I mean, we're frustrated. I think we're waiting for all the facts to come out. And then we'll deal with it accordingly," he said.

Businesses that were damaged because of the flood can file a tort claim with the city for damages.

There are 65 flood gates in Marion County, and all of them were checked Wednesday to make sure they are operating properly.