As part of its ongoing project to remap a floodplain area along Jennings Creek, the City of Bowling Green and Commonwealth Engineers Inc. are seeking photos and information of flooding events from the public in the Whispering Hills area.

Jake Moore, grants coordinator for Neighborhood and Community Services, said the Whispering Hills subdivision was built in the 1960s, and by the 1980s, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had mapped a floodplain in the area.

Moore said after the neighborhood was hit during the Dec. 11, 2021, tornadoes, several homes were destroyed and could not be rebuilt since they were in a floodplain.

“What the city believes is that the actual floodplain that FEMA determined is inaccurate,” Moore said. “These structures can’t be rebuilt. You can’t build in the floodplain. So that kind of kicked off this push to remap that floodplain on our own.”

The city has been working on flood abatement in the neighborhood for some time.

In February, the Bowling Green City Commission accepted an over $1.3 million grant to fund the replacement of a culvert under Whispering Hills Boulevard that will help lift around 15 homes in the area out of the floodplain.

Moore said the current culvert was installed when the neighborhood was built and now acts like a dam, allowing water to collect substantially during heavy rains.

“We’re trying to remap the floodplain and also alleviate some of that backwater,” Moore said. “To do that, we need to figure out where the water has actually been.”

To help with this project, the city is asking residents of the Whispering Hills subdivision to submit time-stamped photos of flooding in the neighborhood and eyewitness information.

Photos can be submitted to Jeff Lashlee, a member of CEI’s project management team, at jlashlee@contactcei.com. Those with information can also call 270-297-1171.

An open house meeting on the project is scheduled for Nov. 14 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Jennings Creek Elementary.

Moore said the session will allow members of the public to learn why the project is being done and will give residents another chance to share their personal experiences of flooding with the city.