Groundwater rises more than 50 feet in two months around Bellevue
The Huron County health district warned of possible flooding after a wet spring. Bellevue has had six major groundwater floods since 1800.
Groundwater under the Bellevue area has risen more than 50 feet in two months after heavy snowmelt and spring rains, the Huron County General Health District reported. As of June 2 the water table was 2.18 feet below the surface, close enough to cause flooding.
Groundwater flooding is not new here. The health district counts six major flooding events in and around Bellevue since 1800, most recently in 2008. NOAA’s Toledo station recorded 21.56 inches of precipitation from January through May, 8.75 inches above normal.
Rain and snow soak into the ground until they reach rock or soil that is already saturated. As more water arrives, the water table rises. Bellevue sits on fractured limestone with underground channels and sinkholes, so water levels can climb quickly and surface in basements, fields and low spots far from any stream.
The health district monitors wells; see Huron County Public Health. Why Bellevue drains underground: the city without sewers. Later: the March 2012 storm. More in Local News.