Buck Creek runs through Springfield and joins the Mad River west of downtown. The Mad River then runs past Enon, Medway, Fairborn and Riverside. The C.J. Brown dam above the city was built to reduce flood stages, which lowers the risk without removing it. A standard homeowners policy generally does not cover river or creek flooding.
Key takeaways
- Buck Creek and the Mad River meet west of downtown Springfield, and floodwater from either one is treated as Category 3 cleanup.
- The C.J. Brown dam was built to furnish flood protection for Springfield and reduce flood stages at points downstream in the Mad River Basin.
- The Mad River runs about 66 miles from Logan County to Dayton, passing Enon, Medway, Fairborn and Riverside on the way.
- Springfield's own flood protection is the C.J. Brown dam, separate from the Miami Conservancy District works built after the March 1913 flood.
- Standard homeowners policies generally do not cover flood from rivers and creeks, so flood usually needs a separate policy through FEMA's program or a private insurer.
- Drying wet materials quickly matters, because mold will continue to grow as long as it has a source of water.
Where do Buck Creek and the Mad River meet Springfield?
Buck Creek comes through the north and east of the city and joins the Mad River west of downtown, below Snyder Park. Both waterways matter for flooding inside town and along the river beyond it.
Buck Creek runs through the north and east of Springfield before it reaches the Mad River. The meeting point below Snyder Park is where the creek's water joins the river, so streets near the confluence can be affected by both at once. Buck Creek is also the stream the C.J. Brown dam sits on just above the city, so what reaches town from the creek depends partly on the reservoir upstream.
The Mad River runs about 66 miles from Logan County to Dayton, and on its way it passes Enon and Medway, then Fairborn and Riverside. Those towns sit on the same river as Springfield, so a rise on the Mad River reaches more than one community. Readers in those towns should know that Greene, Montgomery and Clark counties each have their own rules, so the building department and health district depend on where the house sits.
What does the C.J. Brown dam actually do?
The Clarence J. Brown Dam sits on Buck Creek just above Springfield and was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood protection. It lowers flood stages downstream, but it does not stop every flood.
The C.J. Brown Dam is a rock-fill dam with a sand and gravel core, 6,620 feet across and 72 feet high. It drains an 83-square-mile area above the city. Construction began in September 1966 and finished in fall 1973, the gates closed on 2 January 1974, and by spring the lake had filled to roughly 1,000 acres. Those figures describe the structure as it was built.
The Corps report states the purpose plainly: the dam was built to furnish flood protection for the city of Springfield and to reduce flood stages at all points downstream in the Mad River Basin. Water supply, recreation and wildlife are secondary purposes. Buck Creek State Park opened in June 1975, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources runs its recreation areas. The purpose is reduction, not elimination, and a low spot in a heavy storm can still take water.
Why is the Miami Conservancy District not the same as Springfield's protection?
The Miami Conservancy District grew out of the March 1913 flood, and its works mainly protect the Dayton side of the valley. Springfield's own flood protection is the C.J. Brown dam, so the two systems should not be confused.
Great Miami tributaries flooded in March 1913, and that flood led to the creation of the Miami Conservancy District, organized in 1915. Its five dry dams, 43 miles of original levees and channel work were built between 1918 and 1922, and 12 more miles of levee were added later. The 1913 works protect the Dayton side of the valley, and they are a separate system from anything in Springfield.
Readers often mix the two up because both are flood works in the same watershed. Clark County keeps its own floodplain regulations and a Board of Flood Plain Appeals, which hears variance cases including property in Mad River Township. For work in a floodplain, ask the county building department which local rules apply to that parcel rather than assuming the Miami Conservancy District's rules govern.
How does river and creek water actually get into a house here?
Most river and creek flooding comes in as water spreading over the ground and entering the lowest part of a building, often the basement. Floodwater from Buck Creek or the Mad River is treated as Category 3, the most involved type of cleanup.
Clark County has seen this before. A late-May 2016 storm brought water rescues to parts of the county, and a regional newspaper reported rescue crews reaching a flooded house in Harmony Township by boat. Homes were surrounded on several roads, and some county roads closed for repairs the next day. Storms like that show how quickly water can rise on creeks and low roads.
Water from a creek or river is Category 3 under the IICRC water damage standard, the same top category as sewage backup, because it can carry contaminants from the ground and from whatever it has passed over. Wet porous materials may have to come out, including carpet and pad, drywall and subfloor, and walls may need flood cuts. The price and scope depend on the wet area, the materials, how long the water sat and whether mold is already there. See river flood cleanup for how the work is handled.
Is flood covered by a homeowners policy?
Generally no. A standard homeowners policy typically responds to sudden and accidental water damage, but it generally does not cover flood from surface water, rivers and creeks, which usually needs an added endorsement or a separate flood policy.
A standard homeowners policy generally responds to sudden and accidental water damage, such as a burst supply line. It generally does not cover long-term or gradual leaks, flood from surface water, rivers and creeks, or sewer and drain backup, and those usually need an added endorsement. The Ohio Department of Insurance lists water damage from sewer backup or a basement leak among the typical homeowners-policy exclusions, so read the exclusions in your own policy before you need them.
Flood is written as a separate policy, through FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer. This matters most in Enon, Medway, Fairborn, Riverside and Xenia, and anywhere along the Buck Creek and Mad River corridors. Mapped floodplain runs along the river here, and the way to check your own address is FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. Coverage is decided by your insurer under your policy. The crew can document the damage for a claim, but it cannot decide coverage.
What should you do first after floodwater reaches the house?
Keep out of standing water near outlets, the furnace or the electrical panel, photograph everything before it is moved, and call your insurer early. The crew can give moisture readings and photos for the claim, and drying quickly limits mold.
Before anything else, keep people and pets out of standing water, especially near outlets, the furnace and the electrical panel. Do not use the panel while standing in water. If it is safe to stop the water source, do so. Photograph the damage, including the water line on walls, before anything is moved or thrown away. Then call your insurer early.
Once the area is safe, the crew checks for hidden moisture with moisture meters and thermal imaging, sets air movers and dehumidifiers, and re-reads the materials until they are dry. It can give you photos and moisture readings for your insurer. The emergency stage is explained and approved before work starts, and repairs after drying are quoted separately once someone has seen the wet area. The Ohio Department of Health notes that mold will continue to grow as long as it has a source of water, and mold can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms in some people.
Which parts of the area carry the most combined risk?
Inside the city, older neighborhoods can see a river flood and a sewer backup in the same storm. Outside the city limits, homes often rely on private wells and septic systems, and the Mad River aquifer is linked to the river.
Parts of Springfield are served by a combined sewer, which carries both sewage and stormwater. In a long, heavy rain, the same storm can raise the creeks and push water back through a basement floor drain. A river event and a sewer backup can overlap, and a claim may need separate documentation for each. The City of Springfield reports its long-term control plan for overflows to Ohio EPA. For the basement side of this, see the basement flooding guide.
Outside the city limits, most homes run on a private well and a household sewage treatment system, and flooding reaches those systems too. The USGS found that most recharge to the Springfield aquifer comes from induced infiltration from the Mad River, so the river and the aquifer are hydraulically linked. A property owner with a well should ask the county health district where the house is what to do after floodwater reaches it. Septic and well work are not part of this service, but the crew can clean and dry the inside of the building.
Frequently asked questions
Does Buck Creek flood Springfield?
Buck Creek runs through the north and east of the city and joins the Mad River west of downtown. Whether a given street takes water depends on the storm, the ground and the stream level at that moment. The National Weather Service in Wilmington forecasts the Mad River near Springfield and issues warnings, so check the current gauge and forecast.
Does the C.J. Brown dam mean Springfield cannot flood?
No. The dam was built to furnish flood protection for the city and to reduce flood stages downstream, which lowers the risk. It does not remove the risk, and a low spot in a heavy storm can still take water. Ask your insurer and your county building department what applies to your address.
Will my homeowners policy pay for river flooding?
Generally not. Standard policies usually do not cover flood from rivers and creeks, which needs a separate flood policy or an added endorsement. Coverage depends on your own policy and your insurer's decision. Your agent can tell you how your policy treats flood and sewer backup.
Is the Miami Conservancy District protecting Springfield?
Its works were built after the March 1913 flood and mainly protect the Dayton side of the valley. Springfield's own flood protection is the C.J. Brown dam. The two systems have different histories, so do not assume one covers the other.
Is mold cleanup after a flood licensed in Ohio?
Ohio does not license mold remediation the way some states do. Ask any company what standard it works to. The industry guidance most crews reference is the ANSI/IICRC S520 standard and EPA mold guidance.
Sources
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Wikipedia
- Ohio Department of Insurance
- Ohio Department of Health
- U.S. Geological Survey
This guide is general information for Clark County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.