Louisville is no stranger to flooding — we are sometimes called the River City, after all. From the historic flood of 1937 to as recent as this week, Louisville has seen major impacts from swelling rivers + heavy rain.
Fortunately, there are safeguards in place to keep Louisvillians safe from high water. Here’s a breakdown of the infrastructure, technology, and people that keep Derby City safe:
Floodplain Management
The Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) handles much of Louisville’s flood response. One of MSD’s responsibilities is to oversee + enforce the local Floodplain Management Ordinance. This involves issuing building permits, monitoring drainage systems, and maintaining natural barriers, all with the goal of minimizing flood damage.
Thanks to a 1990 program created by FEMA, residents can get a discount on flood insurance premiums based on how well their municipality mitigates flood risks. MSD earned a Class 3 rating, netting community members up to a 35% discount. If you live in a flood-prone area, or are concerned about flooding, here are some more resources:
Ohio River Protection System
One of the biggest flood sources in Louisville is, of course, the Ohio River. MSD operates a 29-mile flood protection system. The system includes:
- 16 flood pumping stations, capable of pumping 465 million gallons per hour
- 150 floodgates
- 4.5 miles of concrete floodwall
- 24.4 miles of earthen levee
- 79 floodwall closures — think: the cement wall you drive through on the way to Lynn Family Stadium
The Ohio River flood protection system was built by the Army Corps of Engineers during the 1940s and 1950s in response to the destructive flood of 1937, which covered 70% of Louisville in water. It is designed to handle a crest 3-ft higher than the 85.4-ft 1937 flood — still the highest flood crest on record by over 10 ft.
Bonus: Watch MSD crews practice constructing floodwall barriers, which take about 7 hours to install.
First responders
Multiple agencies + departments come together to act fast when Louisville is faced with hazardous flooding. LMPD has a dive team and river patrol, each equipped and trained to deploy boats and rafts in water rescues.
Louisville’s Emergency Management Agency helps coordinate 95 different agencies when disaster strikes. Think: local, state and national-level.