FLOODING PROBLEMS and Barton have become synonymous over the years. Wheeling Creek overflows its banks on a much too frequent basis. As a result, the East Loretta section of the Belmont County community feels the brunt of excessive water.

The flooding issue has caught the eyes of local politicians at several levels. Hopefully, that attention yields a solution to a problem which has lingered too long.

Representatives from the offices of Congressman Bill Johnson and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman viewed the area last week. They met with a delegation which included Colerain Township trustees, representatives of the Belmont County commissioners, Emergency Management Agency and Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Johnson’s and Portman’s representatives learned that when the flooding occurs some 40 houses and 120 people are affected. Impacted residences often have water in their basements and yards, both posing health hazards. So much so, that major floods in 1995 and 2004 resulted in two deaths in the Barton area.

The solution is no secret. Dredging the creek will facilitate drainage.

It will take a team effort to make that happen.

Belmont County is responsible for granting permission to have the dredging done. Subsequently, the permitting would have to be let by the Army Corps of Engineers. With those steps completed, county officials would then determine what the project would entail, estimate prices and look for funding.

The funding portion is where the federal officials can supply their expertise and help secure money to make the work become reality.

The Barton area has felt the effects of flooding for years now. The time has come once and for all to execute the dredging work needed to make for a safer creek.

Local officials are in tune with the situation. Sen. Portman and Congressman Johnson now need to step up and help locate the funding needed to have the dredging come to fruition.