The Elizabethton/Carter County Emergency Management Agency is teaming up with the Army Corps of Engineers to find a solution to flooding issues in the Stoney Creek area.

Residents speaking out about flooding concerns along Blue Springs Road prompted the partnership, Elizabethton/Carter County Emergency Management Agency Director Gary Smith said.

“We wanted to get an expert opinion,” he said.

Smith took Army Corps of Engineers Flood Plain Management Coordinator Phyllis Kohl around to various points of interest Friday. Her job is to help figure out the problem and find possible solutions to mitigate the flooding.

The area where the mouth of Stoney Creek meets the Watauga River is being investigated as a possible cause to the flooding issues.

“There’s some concern from the locals that the debris piled up at the mouth of Stoney Creek is causing problems with the water flow,” Kohl said. “It’s possible that it could back water up and cause flooding on Blue Springs Road.”

Since she was in the process of conducting the investigation, Kohl was unable to say for sure what the issues or solutions may be.

“I’d like to hold off on trying to decide what the solution is or what’s causing the problem until we have a chance to see everything and look at it on the maps,” she said.

Another point of interest is a bridge that crosses Possum Hollow Branch in the 200 block along Blue Springs Road.

“Locals have also described a problem involving flooding in a subdivision here,” she said.

Maintenance to the bridge that crosses Possom Hollow has decreased the opening for water to flow through, according to Ed Bales, who owns property on one side of the bridge. He said he has done everything he could to help ease flooding on his land.

“When brush gets in there, it backs it up,” he said. “We’ve had trees and everything else come down through here. We’ve had to have the county come out to pull stuff out.”

In order to better understand the situation, Kohl asked that the public provide any additional information to Smith. The more data she collects the more help she can provide, she said.

“He can pass that along to me,” she said. “For example, if someone measures a rain event of say 5 inches and it brought the water level up to their garage, they can share that with us.”

To contact the Elizabethton/Carter County EMA, call 542-1888.